There Is No Such Things As Nice Guys
by Zefron101
Summary: Troy Bolton is a medical intern with a news reporter girlfriend Sharpay Evans, who kills a man and Troy takes the blame for it and goes to prison for 5 years. 6 years later they meet again and she's married and has a beautiful step-daughter named Gabriella.
1. Chapter 1

"I am running through the corridors, I then stop next to me is a TV the news was currently on I watched and smiled I saw my girlfriend of 2 years talking, Sharpay Evans is my girlfriend, I ran again

'Dang it I'm late again' said the man in the white coat

'The man stops and greets a group of doctors.

'Bolton you're late again'

'I know and I'm so

'You're an intern you better make up the points'.

'I am walking home from work I live with my best friend Chad, we've been best friends ever since Kindergarten. I got home, took a shower.

I look at my phone.

2 missed calls from Sharpay?'

'I rang her number, she picked up immediately

'Hello'

'Troy you gotta help me I came to a hotel for a meeting and I think I accidently killed the man'  
'I'll be there, wait right there'.  
I arrived at the hotel and I see Sharpay huddled against a wall and on the ground I see a man cover in blood, I checked his pulse but he was already dead.  
I asked.  
'What happened?'  
'That guy tried to rape me and I saw a wine bottle and hit him with it I'm not going to jail right? I was only defending myself'  
'Tell the cops they will understand you were using self-defense'  
'No! Then my news report career will be over'  
'You can find a better career, okay?'  
'No, do you know how hard it was to get here! I'd rather die'  
'I saw Sharpay getting a piece of glass  
I quickly stopped her.  
'Ah'  
'Oh my god I'm so sorry Troy'  
'It's alright, just go I'll clean this mess up you don't deserve a life like this'  
'Wait what about you'  
'Don't worry about me, I already have what I wanted my whole life which is you'  
'No you are not taking the blame!'  
I pushed her out of the room and called the cops.

"HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Gabriella was currently in the car driving to go home.  
I arrived home and saw a woman outside my house talking to my dad

Sharpay P.O.V

I went to the chairman's house to tell him what happened  
'Sir I killed a man and let a man who I value more than life take the blame for it'  
The chairman pulled me into a hug  
And I saw the chairman's daughter staring with anger

Troy P.O.V

I was standing in front of the windows waiting for the cops to get me; I know they are close because I can hear the sirens from here.  
(Sharpay's Voice Over) "This debt! I will not forget it. I, Sharpay Evans, will carry the burden of this debt for my entire life."  
I called Chad, it went to voice message.  
'Hey Chad, it's me I won't be able to make it home today and thanks for being a great friend'  
'5 years of prison, better be quick'.

6 Years Later….  
(In Australia)

Its morning and I just had a shower and I'm in my bathrobe. I feel arms around my waist.  
'Let go I'm not your boyfriend, this was a one-time thing'  
I gave her a check to play for the hotel room.  
'I know why you are interested in me it's probably because you're a gold digger right?  
'Please don't go I love you Troy' the woman said franticly  
'You're different from other guys please don't leave me'

'I pulled her into an embrace and she kept apologizing, I patted her back.

Since the woman was hugging Troy she could not see his Icy cold eyes.

Gabriella was in the suite next door.

Gabriella P.O.V

I was sleeping and I saw Jason who is my lawyer sitting on a chair next to the bed I was currently sick but Jason forgot to wake me up before  
'Why didn't you wake me up Jason!'  
I sprung out of bed  
'If the business fails you are fired Jason, Okay!'  
'I had to meet with an woman who had a complaint with out cosmetics brand  
I apologised to her immediately but I knew the woman was just an act because our products are so organic that it's edible.  
'You are the first complaint we had but there is no way there would be something wrong with our products even our cream is so organic that it is edible'  
I licked the cream off my finger.  
The woman dropped her act and ran off.

Troy P.O.V

I walked outside to a tree, I went underneath it and the woman followed me and pulled me into a kiss.

Gabriella P.O.V

I ended up walking outside of the cafe and I saw a man and woman underneath a tree having a make out sesh but I saw the mans eyes they were open and icy I got scared so I ran off.  
I kept walking but my vision suddenly blured I stumbled, but someone caught me It was Sharpay my step-mother  
'Stop putting on an act' said Gabriella  
A child comes out of nowhere and starts running to Gabriella  
"I guess it runs in the family" said Gabriella  
"You both are tactless. and you cling to whomever you see fit."  
"Keegan just likes his sister" said Sharpay  
I looked straight into Keegan's eyes  
"What older sister? I don't acknowledge you as my younger brother. I've told you more than one hundred times. Do you still not know what's going on? Are you stupid?'  
"How can you say such cruel words to a child"  
I ignored her and walked off to catch a plane.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Chad P.O.V

Troy was sleeping but I couldn't so I stayed up but I saw a woman eyeing Troy she was hot I wrote on a piece of paper putting it next to Troy's head it said  
'He's a pervert and player and he thinks woman are servant!'

Troy P.O.V

"I woke up to use the bathroom I got to it I was waiting then suddenly the door opened and a woman with black hair and tan skin fell in my arms. She looked sweaty and pale but I just lied her down gently on the floor. I checked her pulse. I left her to the flight attendants, I left to go find my seat.  
Next thing I heard on the loudspeaker was  
'Is there any doctors on board please a passenger has fainted.'  
I put my headphones on then Chad jabbed me  
'Troy see if you can check the passenger out you used to be an intern'  
'Fine I'll be back' I left my seat again.  
Gabriella was still on the floor unconscious.  
I checked her and it was serious and I asked for a guardian.  
Then I saw Sharpay emerging I saw the shock on her face.  
But more importantly was the woman lying on the floor.  
I asked Sharpay  
'What is your relationship to this woman'  
'She is my daughter not biologically'  
I felt broken at that moment. My world came crashing down.  
But I had to save the patient.  
"I doused my hand in alcohol and I began an emergency procedure to remove the excess water and air out of Gabriella's lungs, by sticking a needle into her chest.  
"I looked at the patient, she started coughing out blood

I asked Sharpay

'Has she every injured her ribs from an accident? You said you are her mother!'

I needed to put another needle in her

But Sharpay grabbed my hand and said  
'You're not even a doctor! I told you to stop'

"I shot her an icy glare


	2. Chapter 2

(On the plane back to America)

Troy P.O.V

If looks could kill, Sharpay would be already dead.

I continued the procedure until the woman was stabilized.

'It's 10 minutes till we arrive right? She'll be okay for about an hour, keep an eye on her'

I went back to coach.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The plane landed and Sharpay took Gabriella to the hospital, still looking like she saw a ghost.

Chad P.O.V

(In car)

'Hey Troy you alright man?'

'Yeah whatever'

'To be honest I heard Sharpay got married to a CEO of the big company and I didn't tell you'

Troy slammed on the breaks

'Shut up Chad'

Troy P.O.V

(Flashback)

'I wish I was that girl who doesn't have to anything because he is rich'

'Hey don't worry Shar once I become a doctor we can be rich'

'You promise?'

'I promise'

(Back to present)

I was walking in the city and I remember the happy times when I was with Sharpay, but I'm a different man now so it's time for me to let go.

Gabriella P.O.V

I needed to get work done, so I got up and started filling out forms then Jason came in with food.

'I heard that the guy who saved my life wasn't even a doctor, I could have died!'

'I also heard that Sharpay knew that man, it's like she wanted me dead'

Sharpay P.O.V

I wanted to go thank Troy for saving Gabriella's life, but I don't know if they have moved out of that house or not.

I saw Chad sitting outside

'Hi Chad long time no see'

'What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough?'

'I came to see Troy'

'Here's not here'

'I'll come back another day then'

I saw about to leave but

'Hey Chad why haven't you and Troy moved out of this dump yet?'

'Troy said if he moved that you might not be able to find him'

I heard those words and walked off

I went back to my car and thought of what happened at the hotel.

I sat hunched over the steering wheel just taking it all in.

I got home and Gabriella waved at me, she was sitting in the yard.

'I snuck out of the hospital'

Her tone was icy but her smile was forced.

'How could you let a med school dropout take care of me?'

Her tone got icier

'I'm going to get revenge, I'm going to find your weakness and kick you out just as my mom was kicked out'.

I walked off scared.

Troy P.O.V

I got a call from Chad to hurry up and get home.

I arrived home and the cops are there.

'Sharpay Evans has blackmail charges against Troy Bolton, you're under arrest'.

I sat facing Sharpay at the police station.

'Is this statement true?' the cop asked Sharpay

After a long pause she said

'This man sitting in front of me threated my family'

(Troy's Voiceover)

"I was planning on understanding you. I know that I no longer right to have you anymore. That you and I have different worlds. Because I knew that more than anything else in this world, even if you didn't go this far, I was planning to forget you, Sharpay. Even if you didn't go this far, I was planning on sending you, Sharpay Evans, to the person you wanted to go to".

I remained completely silent.

Sharpay P.O.V

I got home and went upstairs and heard Gabriella.

Gabriella P.O.V

'How could you send you step-mother to the police station!' said Gabriella's dad

Dad threw a glass cup which ending up cutting my cheek.

'I will not give my company to a girl like you, if you can't handle it run away'

'Run away just like your mother did'.

I walked off knowing he was going too far

Troy P.O.V

I cooled my head in the cell for the night. Even though I hated this place I felt safer than the real world outside. I stayed silent and just starred at the wall.

Gabriella P.O.V

I went back to work and sat outside drinking away.

'Why is my life like this, what did I do to deserve this'.

Troy is released next morning.

Gabriella P.O.V

I'm going dirt biking and thinking about the company but another rider is next to me I was going faster to beat him but he crashes and I break near an edge of a cliff but I fall my bike falls over the edge I jump to a branch but I start losing my grip, I'm about to fall but a man grabs hold of my hand. Who is this man?


	3. Chapter 3

'Rude, arrogant, fastidious, cold, she has no friends, no hobbies, shopping centres, theatres, museums, golf courses they are her entire social life. Her only hobby is motor biking'. Said Troy researching Gabriella Montez

Gabriella P.O.V

The man pulls me back to safety but I needed to get down there to get my doll I was crying for it.

Troy P.O.V

'Are you nuts' said Troy trying to drag her away from the cliff.

'Mom, mom!' said Gabriella like a frightened child.

I thought maybe something happened to her and that was the last thing that reminded her of her mom.

'I'll go get it for you okay? Stay here'.

I used a rope and tied it to a nearby tree and tied the other end to my waist I go down and retrieve the doll. As I hold up the doll for her to see the rope snaps. I fall and black out.

Gabriella P.O.V

I spaced out at the hospital sitting in the hallway holding the doll my mother gave me before she left. The doctor informs me that the man broke a rib and hurt his leg. I asked if he will be alright, the doctor said if he gets plenty of rest. I got asked what my relationship was to this man I replied as

'I don't know him'

Troy P.O.V

I woke up and saw Gabriella Montez starring

'You should be thankful that I didn't die' said Gabriella

'If you are grateful, you say 'thank you'. If you are sorry, you say 'sorry'. My parents were illiterate, uneducated people, but still, they at least taught me this well.'

She looked caught off guard when I said that.

'So from now on, let's pretend not to know each other' said Troy

I shooed her away so I can rest.

Gabriella P.O.V

I was eating dinner and I just couldn't get that man out of my mind, I wrote his name over and over again Troy Bolton I saw it on his medical chart.

The air grew tense when my dad's lawyer Zeke Baylor got a call from a doctor giving Gabriella the go-ahead for a transplant as a donor.

My dad didn't know he got angry.

Sharpay thought Gabriella's act of selflessness as a way to ingratiate herself to daddy dearest, so she took Gabriella's dad side and told Gabriella to listen to her dad. Sharpay turned the situation around claiming that Gabriella is the only one to take her father's place when he dies of illness so she should her own health.

I saw Sharpay kissing up to dad and I'm guessing it worked.

After dinner

I heard Sharpay and dad will have a public wedding ceremony. I picked up my doll and thought of the day when my mom left, my dad took all of my dolls and ripped them apart saying

'You are going to be the president of a big company one day you shouldn't play with these worthless dolls.'

I was 8 at that time but this doll was the most special and one that I hid from dad.

Sharpay P.O.V

I saw Troy being discharged from the hospital so I followed him and planned to go into his home but Zeke followed Sharpay and stopped her.

Troy P.O.V

I was going home but I stopped I saw Gabriella standing outside my house.

'I've never been a neighbourhood like this before were the houses built by leftover construction parts?'

'Ha' I replied

'Did I make you feel bad? I didn't anything by it' said Gabriella

'Are you interested in me?' I asked bluntly.

I caught her off guard and walked back to my car

I put on my seatbelt then Gabriella jumped in my car

'I'm coming with you'

'Get out'

They bicker in the car back and forth

'Could it be that you want more?' Gabriella asked Troy

'When I saw you back there, I was a little captivated. A style like yours, before my accident, I was never attracted to.' Said Troy

She gave me a stare that she wanted me to stop the car but I never stopped I kept going.

Sharpay P.O.V

I went to go find Zeke I went to his place with a bottle of wine.

'I betrayed Troy I killed someone and let him take the blame' told Sharpay

Zeke poured her another glass

'I want to stay in this place for a long time. If I am just dreaming, I don't want to wake up till I die. Please help me'.

'Let's take you home Sharpay you've had enough'

Troy P.O.V

I drove Gabriella home as I was about to go I until I saw Sharpay with a man he was helping her out of the car then I saw it I saw her kiss him.

I got out of the car and Sharpay turned around she looked scared but I just ignored her and helped the sleeping Gabriella out of the car, I woke her up and she smiled at me, not an icy one but a warm smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Exercise is a great way to cure hurt from past lovers while Troy takes a jog thinking about Sharpay and Sharpay is much more of a ritzier jog as she thinks about him.

Gabriella P.O.V

I was really not into this wedding thing because I really don't like Sharpay we were currently at the gym.

'How do you know Troy?' asked Sharpay

I just ignored her

'By any chance, you don't have any interests in him as a man, do you?'

'Gabriella he doesn't look like a good person.'

I finally replied

'Even if he did approach me knowing who I am and what my background is, I don't care. Since I've already experienced Sharpay Evans, what else do I, Gabriella Montez, have to be scared of?'

Sharpay warned me either way the one who will get hurt is me.

Jason P.O.V

I was trying to find out the relationship between Troy and Sharpay so I went to Troy's neighbourhood and pulled out a picture of Sharpay and asked if anyone knew her but they all reacted strangely.

What I didn't not know was one of Zeke's spies were following me and reporting every move I made to Zeke. Zeke wanted to keep the whole situation low and safe, because he loved Sharpay for along and he didn't want to see her hurt.

Meanwhile listening to Jason's every move Zeke was at the Chairman Montez's house helping him in the wheelchair.

'Keegan's mother how is she like?' asked Zeke

'I want to know if she's someone I can trust' replied the chairman

'Sharpay Evans. She's probably different, right? She probably won't betray me, right?' said the chairman.

By the time Gabriella and Sharpay are out of the gym, Sharpay already has a smile plastered on which fades when she sees Troy, who came to pick up Gabriella.

'We decided to meet right after we opened our eyes' said Troy to Sharpay

'Did you wait long?' asked Gabriella

'No. About 2 hours?' told Troy

Troy finally greeted Sharpay, Gabriella rolled her eyes.

Gabriella introduces Sharpay as the person who is marrying her dad.

'Yea I remember her as an anchor woman; I was a fan'

'But, not anymore unfortunately'

Troy then dropped his smile.

But they get interrupted by Chairman Montez

'Who is this man Gabriella?'

'He is someone I am dating'

Chairman Montez invites him to a fancy brunch.

Sharpay looks like she rather be somewhere else same with Zeke. Chairman Montez is interested in Troy because he is the first ever Gabriella introduced as her boyfriend.

Chairman Montez asked Troy about college.

'It's not that I quit. I was expelled.' Troy said

Sharpay was sweating like a whore in church.

Chairman Montez got angry at Gabriella for not knowing this man's past.

'I only care about the present and future together.'

'And what about you, Dad? The person you decided to marry, even at a younger age than myself, wanted to be your woman when you already had a wife and a child. The person who seduced you. There is only a five year age difference between her and your daughter. How much do you know about the hidden two-faced that she is, and how much do you really know about her past?'

Chairman Montez pays by throwing a glass of water at her but Troy stops him just him time.

Chairman Montez then left the room with Zeke and Gabriella chased after them. Which left Troy and Sharpay alone in the room.

'What do you think I'm doing?' asked Troy

'Be practical instead. Ask for money! You sell your body for money anyway, don't you?' said Sharpay

'I don't know how glamorous, splendid, and great your wold is. Bu that's not where you belong. A person like your shouldn't be there.' He claims that she's livin in the very world she bitterly despised during her days as a reporter, which is exactly why she can't stay.

'If you can't come down from there, I'll go up there. I'll go up and bring you down. I'll kill your world. Pack your bags and wait until I come get you.' Said Troy

'Fine is where I belong the dumpster you live in'

'No, even that place would be an honor for you'

Troy left after that.

Meanwhile Gabriella was waiting outside for Troy.

'It was fun while it last' said Troy

'It may not be twelve hours since we've known each other, but it feels like we've been dating for twelve months. I just fell for you, even though it's embarrassing and hurts my pride.' Said Gabriella

Gabriella offers her hand for a goodbye handshake. But Troy instead proposes a goodbye kiss, maybe in a different setting. He claims it's felt like a hundred years since he met a woman he likes, so it'd be a waste to end thing without a kiss.

Chad P.O.V

Chad met up with the same girl he met on the plane back to America, her name is Taylor McKessie. They were at a coffee shop, they talked and Chad asked to meet up again

Meanwhile

Troy was working tonight It was his shift currently he was shaving ice into a ball, he serves drinks to Zeke.

Gabriella was clutching her doll and confines her office.

President Montez sends Jason off to tell Gabriella she is basically fired from her job as Executive Director for the time being, this pisses Gabriella off and she declares that she isn't going anywhere.

Jason tries to dissuade her, as she beelines for the meeting room, not at all dismayed when the door is locked. Despite her pounding at the door the meeting carries on as usual, until Zeke finally gets the go-ahead to let her in.

But at the company there is a group they want to acquire, but the only way they can work up the funds is to sell a resort is Bahamas, something that has Gabriella up at arms because they can sell every place but that place.

Luckily for the company, Sharpay has a close contact with an American company who'll pay them lots of money for the resort. Gabriella's dissent falls on deaf ears even as she swears to come up with a plan to get the funds herself. Like we thought, the resort has sentimental value attracted to Mom.

Finally, Chairman Montez orders Gabriella taken out, and tears into her when she calls him 'Father' .

'How am I your father here?' He demands to know, and literally takes Gabriella to school in front of all the other board members. He appoints Sharpay as management on the project, since the Americas firms is in the Bahamas resort and thus presents is the perfect negotiation opportunity.

Gabriella is forced to stay and listen silently as dad and Zeke iron out details for Sharpay to take control of the project.

And Sharpay herself get the news, she can barely contain her happiness.

Meanwhile with Troy

Troy was going through his old doctor stuff and finds a picture of him and Sharpay he flips the picture over so it's not facing him.

He went outside and gets a call from Gabriella

'Have you found a place we can kiss yet?' asked Troy

She asks him to name ten people who've thrown away their or power for love

Princess Fiona from Shrek and I don't know.

Gabriella admits she wants to see him.

She is calling from the Bahamas from the resort when she's trying to saveit from being sold off by her father and step mother because it was dear to her real mother.

She doesn't even have to finish her sentence, because Troy automatically cuts in and says he'll accept her even if she loses everything.

'Okay, I'll believe you this one time. If it comes down for me to give up, I'll give up quickly. If it comes down to surrendering, I'll surrender even fast.' Said Gabriella

Sharpay pops up before she can hang up, and Troy stays on the line, while Gabriella tells Sharpay she's there to ruin her schemes, since she alone has found as way to get the funds they need without selling the resort.

'I thought I told you. You can't beat me'. Said Sharpay

She launches into a tirade about how far she's gone to overcome all the obstacles in her life, and what she's had to do. Basically she's made her bed and she'll make damn sure she gets to lay in it forever.

'Don't play around and just move, Gabriella. Like I told you, you can't beat me.' Said Sharpay

Once Sharpay's gone she hangs up on Troy.

Gabriella heads to a small house one the property where she and Mom used to visit, and admits to her Barbie that did lie to Sharpay. She hasn't found a way, but 'I am Gabriella Montez' it won't be taken away from me that easily. Believe in me Mom.

Meanwhile Sharpay meets up with the American business man buying the resort.

Gabriella burns the midnight oil to do some serious number crunching, since everything's better in a montage. Still without a solution, Gabriella stares at the starry sky and affirms to herself and

'Mom, not yet. I won't take my hands off this. I won't give up yet. I won't surrender yet.'

She ends up falling asleep outside and a mysterious person picks her up and dumps her into the river.

She comes up sputtering, face to face with a brightly smiling Troy. He's there to help her get her shiznit together

'Let's kill them all' said Troy to Gabriella.


	5. Chapter 5

Troy was driving but he thought of the conversation with Zeke last night.

Zeke wasn't in Troy's bar as a coincidence, since he tells Troy about an animal documentary he watched, where a jackal had taken hold of a coyote's tail, causing the coyote to go to the edge of a cliff.

'If the jackal was sensible, he would have let go of the tail he was bitting, and if the jackal were stupid, they would have died together by falling off the cliff. What do you think that jackal chose?' Zeke asked clearly.

Zeke was referring Sharpay as the coyote and the jackal as Troy.

'The jackal was probably more reckless than he'd think' said Troy

'Wouldn't the jackal be scared to die when faced with the edge of a cliff. Wouldn't he have changed his mind?' said Zeke

'No, probably not. It probably would've said to the coyote, 'It's a relief that we can go together. Thanks to you, I won't be lonely as I go.'' Troy replied

We see Troy arrive at the Bahamas only seconds after Sharpay ushers the American company inside, He asks the conceierge where Gabriella is in Bahamas.

Troy arrives at the place where Gabriella is staying, he found her Barbie on a swing.

'It's been a while' he tells the doll with a smile.

On Gabriella's door there's a warning written

"Don't disturb me. Never ever knock".

So he doesn't, and just sits outside and waits while Gabriella crunches numbers inside. Turns out he was watching her the whole time Gabriella was outside, and tried to get her attention once she was asleep, only to hear her murmur, 'The calculations aren't right'.

Troy takes the opportunity to let himself inside, and slips through Gabriella's notes. It seems like she has a habit of scribbling a person's name when they're troubling her, but instead of Troy Bolton she scribbled at the dinner table, not it's Sharpay Evans

He remembers overhearing Gabriella and Sharpay's earlier conversation, especially the bit where Sharpay told her "You can't beat me." Since helping Gabriella with harm Sharpay, Troy sits down and sets to finishing Gabriella's work. The goal? Find roughly thirty-five million dollors from anywhere they can, in order to avoid selling the resort.

Chad got a midnight call from Troy asking for his expertise to help him make sense of Gabriella's financial statements.

After a tiny tantrum, Chad uses his business management skills to help his friend.

Troy end up working the whole night, papering the walls with post-it notes of all the little amounts they can collect to add up toward the big sum. One of the companies, Club X, piques his interest as he remembers one of his female clients telling him to put his money into the company since it was growing fast, despite having filed for bankruptcy two years ago.

We see Troy dumping Gabriella into the river.

'Let's kill them all' said Troy.

'But let's get some food to build up our strength' said Troy.

Gabriella just stares at him over the breakfast table, and it's cute that Troy keeps pushing plates her way so he can eat.

'How did you get here?' asked Gabriella

'I took the plane' replied Troy

Gabriella looks miffed so he adds

'I also took the taxi'.

'I actually came here because I missed you' Troy admitted.

'I can't go without you or without seeing you for even a couple of days, my hearts too distressed at the sight of your pale and tired face'.

Troy starts telling her about all the ways hr's found to help get the money, namely the five million the company invested in Club X. Gabriella thinks the shares are worthless, but Troy tells her what he found out about the group's recent and secret growth, which wil turn their five million into twenty million. Now, they only have fifteen million to go.

Gabriela barely speaks, her expression caught somewhere between surprise and admiration.

'Since when did you know all these things?' Asked Gabriella

'I have a pool of connections' replied Troy

'Of course, if we're comparing, I'm even smarted' said Troy

He's also found a defunct factory they can sell, and Gabriella's able to come up with more, which earns her an admiring look from Troy. This leaves them around $500,00 left, which Troy thinks she can come up with by selling jewerly, cars, or whatsoever she doesn't need.

It's easy to see that she's touched, and Troy tells her to dismiss those feelings for now since she doesn't have time. She tells him that she'll remember well what he's dismissed.

'Reverence, being touched, using you to boast, a hug… After I win, let's tally the tab clearly.'

Gabriella gets on the phone in order to put a stop to Sharpay until she can get there, and is stoped on her way off by Troy, who gently holds her face in his hands so he can give her a kiss on the forehead.

'You have to win and kill them all. And if you don't win, don't think of coming back'.

You could see the love beaming from Gabriella's eyes, and Troy smiles after her until she's out of sight. Then he drops his smile.

And Gabriella, still happily reeling from the kiss, heads off he thwart Sharpay's plans.

Meanwhile with Sharpay was taking a bath and Zeke accidently comes in and walks out quickly. Sharpay finishes her bath and Zeke tells her that Gabriella came up with a way to get the funds, and that she wants Sharpay to stop with the deal.

Sharpay doesn't plan on doing anything Gabriella asks, and Zeke seems to agree with that sentiment. She asks him to get her a gown, and by the time he turns around, she's standing in front of him stark naked.

In the wake of Gabriella's new discovery, Sharpay plans to push the contract through faster in order to pull the rug out from her rival.

While Gabriella is still on a taxi ride to the hotel, Sharpay begins the contract-signing process with the American company. She's on pins and needles but smiles to herself once she knows Gabriella won't make it.

And she's right, since Gabriella arrives only moments after the contract has been signed. Sharpay introduces her as her daughter to her contacts. Gabriella is fuming that Sharpay ignored her message to put a stop to the signing, but Zeke steps in and rakes the blame, telling Gabriella that he never even passes it on to Sharpay because

'I couldn't let you risk the company's future because of your own personal feelings.'

He even tells her that her useless stubbornness is what caused them to hold off on selling the resort so long, and Gabriella looks like she is about to cut a bitch.

Sharpay smiles coldly.

'Gabriella, I know your heart. This resort, including every tree here, is what your mother planted. And all the guest room's interiors are what your mother designed.' Sharpay claims she know that Gabriella wanted to protect the resort, but business is business.

So Gabriella turns to the Rolling company head

'I'm not selling this resort. I will not sell it. Never!'.

She even starts ripping up the contact, which has Sharpay screaming at her to stop,

'What are you going to do about?' said Gabriella.

'The contract is invalid' said Gabriella while dropping the ripped up contract to the floor.

Sharpay rages about the fact that she'd dare to tear the contract when she's already fired from the company, so when Gabriella goes for the phone to call Daddy, Sharpay snatches it away and slaps her across the face.?

Gabriella takes it like a champion she is, but Sharpay tears into her about how she's her mother, and gives that her absolute authority to correct Gabriella from going down the wrong path.

None of this fazes Gabriella, until Sharpay adds the cherry on top of the harsh lecture

'The person who wanted to sell this resort the most is not me, but the Chairman. He wanted to erase all the memories of your mother with the selling of the resort more than anyone else.'

Gabriella eventually screams in frustration before she collapses, but she's the first to shrink away when Zeke tries to help her up.

'Since when did you become Sharpay Evan's dog? You were one of Gabriella Montez's most precious people in the company, in which she could rely on.' Said Gabriella to Zeke.

Zeke tells her that he's just got the company's success on the mind.

Troy calls Gabriella, and her face briefly contorts in sadness before she tamps it all down. Troy guesses from her silence that she lost, but strangely enough asks to talk to the Rolling Chairman. Gabriella puts him on loudspeaker.

Troy talks to her Chairman to call out him for his previous company's sordid past of lawsuits and illegal chemical dumping. Troy's certainly done his research, and even Sharpay looks surprised to learn that they plan to renovate Bahamas into some sinister medical research center.

His tactics work, and the Chairman hightails it outta there. Sharpay makes sure Gabriella knows she made a big mistake, but Gabriella doesn't care as long as she could save the resort.

And once again, she's left Troy on the line, Sharpay eavesdrops from the outside as Troy tells her to meet in three hours, since he needs a nap.

Back in the homestead, Jason still seems to be suspicious of Troy, and studies a picture of him intently. Word of the cancelled contract has already reached Chairman Montez, as he expresses his desire to punish Gabriella severely.

Jason keeps offering safe punishments like taking the money from her future salary, and when that doesn't work, he offers his own salary for a cut too.

'As long as you don't kick her out until she's eighty' said Jason/

Except, it doesn't seem like Chairman Montez wants her punished as he entreats Jason,

'If, for an unbelievable reason, people would turn their backs on Gabriella, and even if I turn my back on her… Please, stay right next to that child. Even if everyone in this world leaves her, don't leave her. And be patient although it may be difficult. Please, protect her no matter what.' Said Chairman Montez

Jason agrees and leaves.

Meanwhile with Gabriella gets ready for her date with some preening and primping, except it goes horribly awry and makes her look like a kid who got into mommy's makeup. She calls someone to help her with it instead.

Sharpay gives Troy a call, and through we can't see his eyes through the sunglasses, you can hear the thinly veiled uncertainly in his voice as he denies Sharpay's every attempt to come and see him.

She pulls out the big guns though, and in her most pitiful and breathless voice tells him

'I miss you, Troy. Just give me ten minutes'.

Gabriella shows up for the date in a demure ensemble, and has no idea that Troy's gone to meet Sharpay. He tells her he's going to give her ten minutes.

'Did I make you like this?' asked Sharpay

'I made you like this. The warmest Troy in the world…. I turned you into this dark, cold and scary person that you are right now. I, Sharpay Evans, made it like that'.

Troy's just counting the minutes, she asks him to take the nearby cruise with her, because he'd told her a long ago that he wanted them to take a cruise together to the end of the world.

'That promise… You still haven't kept it yet'

While that is going on, Gabriella continues to hike around the beautiful date locale, looking for Troy.

No matter what sweet words Sharpay says, Troy is ready to leave her when her ten minutes are up. She resorts to begging at the sight of his turned back

'Don't go. Don't leave. Please don't go. Please don't go to Gabriella!'

But Troy keeps walking, until he hears a splash from behind him.

He turns around only to find her shows left on the bridge. She's jumped into the ocean. Troy sees nothing when he looks over the edge and yells for Sharpay.

And at the same time, Gabriella turns around, as though she's heard him.

Troy dives in after her and sees her slowly sinking down, stiff as a board. He manages to get Sharpay back on the bridge where he performs emergency CPR, until she spits up water and regains consciousness.

And when Gabriella calls him it goes straight to voicemail.

Meanwhile Jason goes through the security camera footage and stops when Troy pops up on screen. Something about Troy isn't sitting right with him, but he continues to click through the footage until he sees something even more unsettling; Sharpay and Zeke's kiss.

Troy watches over Sharpay while she's unconscious and hooked up to an IV at the resort, and consciously resists the urge to hold her hand.

Sharpay's voice stops him as he's about to leave

'Could it be that you still haven't forgotten me? That's why you're still lingering by my side, right?'

She thinks him saving her is proof, and wonders why he didn't let her die.

'I will go back. I will go back to you again. Not now, but I will definitely go back to you. So trust me and for a bit'. Tells Sharpay.

'Out of 100 memories, there were ten that were good. Don't you know what you've done wrong? How great it would have been if only you could've left on or two good memories. 'Ah my first love Sharpay Evans isn't that kind of unscrupulous person.' Even though I don't understand, you should have left the good memories for forgiveness. That way, the pathetic Troy Bolton who believed Sharpay Evans was everything in his life wouldn't have become so defiled.'

Troy finally storms out leaving Sharpay speechless in his wake.

It's dark out, but the town is alive with a grand parade making its way through the street. Troy stares vaguely until he remembers his missed date with Gabriella, and runs through the crowd.

Gabriella has fallen asleep on the bride waiting for him, and that's where Troy finds her. She wakes up when he brushes her hair behind her ear, and when he asks what she would have done if he never came, she answers

'Then I would have waited until you came. If you wait, the person is bound to come'.

He takes a good look at her face, and asks if she put makeup on. She mentions that it's her first time wearing a dress, but as she begins to tally up what she owes him, including a hug, Troy interrupts her by swooping for a kiss. Gabriella closed her eyes and kissed him back passionately.


	6. Chapter 6

(Flashback)

It was Troy and Sharpay's first meeting, we hear Troy say in voiceover.

'To be exact, my dream came true on that day. The one who made my heard flutter at the sound of her name, Sharpay, was in front of me, smiling at me.'

It's flash-forwards to their college years, and then to Troy writing all of this in a letter. In it, he'd written to Sharpay how much he would cherish and love her.

Troy and Gabriella are still kissing passionately on the bridge thee Troy opens his eyes to give that soulless look of his.

(Troy's letter voiceover)

'I will never let you feel lonely, I won't ever leave you alone. No matter what, just like now. I will never let go of your hand.' As Troy says that Troy and Gabriella are watching the parade as he interlaces his fingers with hers.

'_I will always be standing close enough for you to reach out to me'._

Gabriella loses Troy in the crowd and she runs through the street, terrified of all the foreign sights and sound assaulting her. Troy stands nearby, watching.

'_I promise, my start is Sharpay Evans. And my end will also be Sharpay Evans. I promise that'._

Gabriella finally spots him across the way, and couldn't look more relieved. He holds up two drinks innocently, like he'd just meant to be gone for a moment, but Gabriella throws her arms around Troy like he's the only piece of driftwood keeping her from drowning.

'_I wish for Sharpay to have the same feelings'._

Troy hugs her back with dead eyes staring forward.

Gabriella arrives back in Albuquerque and is literally glowing on her ride home from the airport, and couldn't help telling Secretary Nielsen why there's such a skip in her step.

'It's because I'm in love. This thing called love, can it make humans helpless and absurd? What was I doing all this time?' said Gabriella

Secretary Nielsen keeps her lips sealed, especially since she remembers how much Chairman Montez hated Troy. Gabriella doesn't care, and fills the silence with talk of getting a new wardrobe and learning how to put on makeup.

She makes Secretary Nielsen promise to keep this a secret from her dad and Secretary Nielsen offers some calming pills for the trials ahead, which Gabriella rejects on the basis of her being her fly self.

Gabriella arrives home and she isn't surprised when she sees Jason standing by a pile of all her packed things. Sharpay wheels Chairman Montez out so he can give Gabriella a good talking to, and meekly excuses herself to bathe her son Keegan.

Chairman Montez is kicking Gabriella to the curb, and tells Jason to confiscate all her credit cards and keys, and to make sure that no employee gives her even a cent in aid.

'Perhaps, just maybe, 'You did well. At least our Gabriella protected the resort. The resort we were about to sell to con men. The last thing my wife left behind, that resort. My daughter protected it.' Can you not, just once, know how to praise me like that?' asked Gabriella

Chairman Montez says 'no' because of the money lost with the contract. He even claims that Sharpay stopped him from filing a police report against her.

Jason tries to mediate the situation as best he can, but Chairman Montez wants her to apologize but Gabriella isn't apologizing for a thing.

'Saving Bahamas Resort was the smartest and greatest thing I have done in my life. If it were to happen again I would make the same choices'.

Chairman Montez orders her to get out of the house, and Gabriella chooses to leave with the only the clothes on her back. Once she's gone, Chairman Montez grips his chest in pain.

After a fail attempts to get Gabriella's attention as calling her 'Director' Jason switches to the informal 'Gabriella'. He tries to give her a credit card, not as an employee of the company but as 'Jason Cross the guy who has known you for a long time'.

Regardless, Gabriella doesn't want to cheat, and hands over her wallet after removing the cash.

'Are you really going to leave like this?' asked Jason

'I don't have a choice do I?' Gabriella replied

'Please take care of Dad'. Gabriella said and left.

Meanwhile with Sharpay she is done giving her son a bath she smiles and praises her son for being the best.

Gabriella hikes up to Troy's house, but hesitates at his door. In the yard, Chad is dancing while Taylor was watching, but Chad goes and answers the door.

Chad recognizes Gabriella and tells her Troy's work address when she asks.

As for Troy, he's tending his bar while standing face to face with Sharpay. She's reserved the whole club so that her and Troy can be alone, and Troy doesn't look too happy about it.

Sharpay tells Troy to stop playing around with Gabriella, because she already makes Gabriella's life miserable and there's no need for him to add more to her suffering.

Troy serves her drink with reluctance and tells her to go home.

'When I said I will go back to you, I was being sincere. I also couldn't forget some like Troy Bolton'. Said Sharpay.

This seems to get Troy's attention, but they're interrupted when Chad sends Troy a warning text that Gabriella is on her way, giving him time to get rid of any girls his with. It's why Chad chose to take Gabriella via cab instead of just giving her Troy's address.

Troy gives Gabriella a call, but leaves her on speaker phone so he can look Sharpay dead in the eyes while he tells Gabriella

'I thought I was going to die missing you.' Troy told Gabriella

Troy even tells Gabriella that he prepared a room at his house, knowing she'd get kicked out.

'In my room, come live with me' Troy tells her

Troy enjoys watching Sharpay squirm.

Before she hangs up, Gabriella nervously ekes out

'I love you'.

When he doesn't answer right away, she says it louder

'I love you'.

Sharpay looks like someone just killed her family, while Troy just smiles darkly at her as he replied

'Me too, I love you, Gabriella Montez.'

Then she hangs up.

'Gabriella sounds 100% sincere'. Sharpay says

'Using a pathetic girl who knows nothing, how are you going to be able to live with this late?' asked Sharpay

'Are you sure I'm 100% false'

'To an innocent, intelligent, handsome, bright and lovable girl on top of that… Does it seem like I'm 100% false?' asked Troy.

Chad acts like a Nervous Nancy the whole drive over, I guess not trusting Troy even though he just called Gabriella.

To Troy's credit, he is trying to kick Sharpay out but she turns to him and asks

'Let's just destroy ourselves together.' Do you want to do that Troy?'

And instead of giving him time to react, she grabs him in a kiss instead.

Sharpay votes that they kiss when Gabriella comes, that way she'll learn everything about who's using her and why one swoop fell

'Let's destroy ourselves together, Troy Bolton'

Just when Troy is about to wipe lips but, he does a one-eighty a traps her against the column with a rough kiss, one that's got her wanted out. He manages to snap a photo of their locked lips with his phone before pulling away, wiping his lips after.

He doesn't think Sharpay knows what 'destruction' really is, and shows her the picture on his phone with a smirk'

'Destruction is done like this, Sharpay Evans'

Outside the bar, Gabriella gets a text of a different set of locked lips Sharpay and Zeke's. She dials Jason.

Sharpay thinks that Troy lost it, but he asks her how a person with nothing to lose could win against someone with a lot to lose.

'Didn't you say you would come for me? Didn't you say you would drag me down? No matter how high you go, you can't have me.' And just like that, Sharpay changes up the power dynamics in her favour, with Troy hanging on her every word.

Even though the depths to which she'll sink may be bottomless, Troy still plans to bring her down. Now knowing that he has no plans to stop, Sharpay announces that she doesn't plan on stepping down either.

'What can we do but go all the way? Let's go as far as we can.' Said Sharpay

But Troy can't hide his concern when he sees Sharpay stumble in pain.

Zeke comes to pick Sharpay up, and when asked about her health, Sharpay simply replies that her hip gives her a trouble once in a while. She speaks frankly with him about his greed, and tells him to just take advantage of her instead of liking her. It'll be easier for him that way.

Chad is surprised to find Troy alone in the bar, and guesses something fishy went on with Sharpay. Either way, he tells Troy that Gabriella had to leave urgently and he wants Troy to be his friend and help him get over his breakup.

Gabriella storms in a café to demand answers from Jason.

Turns out he sent the picture to her just as an incentive to take a deal made with her father on how to return to the company. With her dad's health warning, if she wants to stop Sharpay, she has to be reinstated. Gabriella registers all this while trembling in rage.

Chairman Montez calls Zeke to set up Sharpay's phone as a tracking device, so he can know where she is at all times. He's grappling with chest pain in a half-empty beg, yet Zeke still lies to him about Sharpay's current whereabouts.

And when he tries to get Sharpay off the hook, Chairman Montez reminds him that he still doesn't trust women.

When Chad gets thoroughly wasted, Troy remembers how Sharpay originally hurt her hip – her brother had mercilessly beaten her to take her money, but since Troy had given it to her, she protected it with her life.

He swigs half a bottle of beer at the memory, and ignores Gabriella's calls.

She's already moving fast on her reinstatement deal, which depends on her ability to negotiate with the protesters who'd previously egged her. She has Jason there as a notary, and gives the Protest Head a challenge.

If he can beat her in a drinking context, she'll listen to his requests. Likewise, If she wins, he has to listen to her.

Taylor comes to the bar to find Chad passed out on the floor and Troy sleeping in his chair, Taylor drags Chad out of the bar and leaving Troy to take care of himself.

The drinking contest begins. Even if Gabriella is a drinking champion, there's just no way she can escape alcohol poisoning on this one.

Jason sat next to Gabriella and saying over and over again in his head

'This is a terrible idea'.

Gabriella excuses herself for a moment and the concerned Jason follows, but she reveals it as a tactic to get the protestors to take pity on her because she's cute.

So she lets Jason in on her new plan… to run away before the protestors notice. But she's gone by the time Jason brings the car around.

Meanwhile Troy wakes up to find Chad gone. Gabriella calls him as he makes his way home, looking like she's found her way to his house. When he asks if she drank she lies that she only had one bottle of beer.

She asks Troy what he's done to her that has her thinking of him all day, every day. While she's slurring, Troy follows the sound of her voice and finds her sitting near his house.

He then kneels in front of her, Gabriella reels like she's having this totally rad imagination party, she pokes him and says

'It's 3D!' drunk Gabriella says.

Troy's expression grows serious as he tells her

'It may be something you regret when you look back in time, but just think you're having a nightmare. You can wake up from nightmares. As time goes by, you wonder what you dreamt of, not being able to remember anything'. Says Troy

Troy takes her to his house to get some rest, and spends a long time just staring at her. He ends up talking to Jason when he calls Gabriella's phone, and reassures him that he's caring for Gabriella as her boyfriend.

Gabriella wakes up the next morning to find Troy sleeping next to her, and smile giddily.

Meanwhile Sharpay wakes up wearing a sour expression as she lies next to the sleeping Chairman Montez.

While Jason checks up on the kiss cam footage of Sharpay and Zeke, he ends up seeing something he missed last time…footage of Troy bringing Gabriella home.

He recognizes him from the picture he's been using to investigate Sharpay's past, which is bad news.

Gabriella's there to tell Troy 'good morning' and she asks about what she said or did the night before.

'Did I say I'm crazily in love with you?' asked Gabriella.

Then she asks him if he had a reaction, and he admits to it before trying to change the subject. Gabriella won't take her eyes off Troy, and keeps pestering him to tell her what he said.

Meanwhile, Jason is on Troy's scent as he calls Secretary Nielsen to confirm whether Gabriella's boyfriend is the Troy Bolton.

Gabriella asks Troy again, and he looks her square in the eyes and tells her that she's unlucky because she got caught by the wrong man named a Troy Bolton.

'Do you want to run away while you can? Get up now, put on your shoes, and run away with all your might. You only have one chance'. Said Troy

This definitely wasn't what Gabriella expected, but she thinks his joking. When he tells her that she hasn't given him an answer yet, she asks if it isn't too late…. And she kisses him.

Sharpay gets treated to a photo shoot in her wedding gown, while Zeke is watching with a angry look. But suddenly she gets a call from her twin brother. Her eyes got wide in terror.

Troy comes home from dropping Gabriella off to find Taylor tending to Chad's beat up face. Sharpay's brother, fresh out of prison beat him up to find out where Sharpay was and stole Troy's phone to get her number.

It's worth nothing that Chad wanted to keep this a secret from Troy to save his friend from getting involved.

Meanwhile Gabriella meets up with the protestors from last night, signing the contract. There is one where it requires to pay for their children's educations, and she agrees to sell everything she owns and take out loans to meet the demand. Jason is not happy about his

She even agrees to sacrifice her personal salary to reinstated fired workers. Which has the head man asking if she'll be okay?

'Even if I won't be okay, at most, it'll just be eliminating me from the family register and disinheriting me' Gabriella shrugs.

Afterward, Jason tries to get her attention while she waits for the bus, but Gabriella is too exhausted to think. He hands her an envelope and sends her on her way.

A neighbourhood woman stops her on the way to Troy's house with an oddly-timed gift, a photo frame for Troy. Gabriella turns the frame over to see a picture of Troy and Sharpay together at a graduation ceremony.

She looks shocked at the photo, and hides it when Troy pops out of his gate, all smiles for her. She doesn't smile back.


	7. Chapter 7

Sharpay looked distant and worried as she sits through an interview about her upcoming wedding.

Troy ends up seeing Gabriella on his way out, and she hides the photo and swallows down her emotions to maintain a calm façade. She's barely responsive as he tells her he's got someone to meet, but he stops himself from heading off to check on her, noting she doesn't look good.

Gabriella's eyes are strangely unfocused as Troy checks her forehead for a fever, and his gentle touch reminds her of the first time all three of them had been in a room (Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay). And how he'd lied only knowing Sharpay from her news reporter days.

Gabriella stares back at him with a fierce look.

Troy has no idea what's going on, and just thinks she's sick from her drinking. Gabriella thought of the words that Sharpay said "You'll be the one to get hurt!".

Gabriella musters up the strength to wish him off, and even adds

'Come back quickly'

However, the second he's out of sight her knees go weak. She stares at the photo and takes it all in, her mind reeling to connect the dots, until she remembers the envelope that Jason gave her and she tears it open. Inside is the indictment she'd filed against Troy when the whole blackmail debacle happened, only now realizing that they're the same person.

Just before in the café Jason tells Gabriella what he knows about Troy Bolton. He was the one who saved her on the plane, he and Sharpay go back 19 years, and that the money Sharpay gave him was meant to keep him quiet about their relationship.

'In any case, that friend, Troy Bolton, approached you with an ulterior motive'. Says Jason

Gabriella listens as she keeps adding more and more sugar to her coffee.

Meanwhile Troy meets up with Ryan at a bar, and lies to him that Sharpay died 6 years ago. Ryan doesn't buy it since he got her number off Troy's phone.

'Sharpay killed him, right? Sharpay killed him and you took the blame, right?' Ryan suddenly asked.

They go way back, and Ryan knows Troy well enough to make that assumption.

'I don't know about Sharpay, though' says Ryan.

Jason tells Gabriella about Troy's murder charge and sentence, citing that as the reason why he was kicked out of medical school. Gabriella then asks

'What else'. As though she's not impressed or frightened yet

Jason blinks at her, before stressing that Troy and Sharpay have been close for a long time

But Gabriella interrupts him

'You said that before'

Jason continues and that Troy approached Gabriella with ulterior motives.

'Are you dense? You already said that too'.

He tries getting through to her, but she continues to shrug him off. Troy's list of crimes is nothing special to her. When he suggests legal action, Gabriella turns to him fast

'Don't you touch him. Don't you dare touch a single hair on his body'.

So while Gabriella protects Troy, Troy protects Sharpay against the threat of her brother. We know by this point that first impressions are deceiving; Ryan is no model citizen, but he claims to be on Troy's side against his self-described satanic sister.

'I will take revenge for you. She's a terrible girl who used you. I can't explain everything to you, but there is not comparing me with that bitch' Ryan claims that he'll take care of Troy's revenge, his mom's revenge, and his own revenge against Sharpay.

This sets Troy off, and he kicks Ryan down before pouncing on him, shoving his face into the seat cushion as he grates out

'Don't you lurk anywhere near Sharpay. If you do, I'll kill you with my bare hands'. He makes sure to drive the point home that he did kill someone before, and he can do it again.

Jason is back at the Montez house and asks Chairman Montez to reinstate Gabriella now that she did as he asked and blocked the strike.

When Chairman Montez protests against honouring the deal, Jason smartly uses his resignation as a bargaining chip. However, their conversation takes an even darker when Jason tells him that if he doesn't get Gabriella back now, she may never return, especially since she may have found something more important outside of her Dad's cutthroat world.

Chairman Montez asks for clarification, so Jason spells it out, meaning every word

'Chairman, it seems Gabriella has gone crazy'.

Meanwhile, Gabriella meanders through Troy's neighbourhood and thinks of their first serious talk in the car, when he'd asked her what she would do if he wanted her to give him something much more valuable than a watch.

Sharpay musters up the courage to give Troy a call, and thinks he's behind her brother's sudden reappearance in her life.

'How far will you go? You and I, how far are we going to go? Let's go till the end'

Troy then hangs up.

Sharpay finds Chairman Montez unwell and knocking back some pills, but agrees when he orders her to bring back Gabriella. He hands over Troy's address, and wonders why Sharpay hasn't taken care of him yet.

Money won't work on Troy and she tells him as much, but before leaving, she comes up with an idea. Chairman Montez knows some people in low places, ones that could beat the tar out of Troy.

But then Sharpay has the nerve to ask if there won't be any bad consequences from using that kind of force.

Gabriella catches Troy on his way home, and takes him to a pretty vista over looing Albuquerque for a drink. Gabriella tries to drink less in front of Troy, in case something happens again.

She points out all the lights, and says that among those lights are Troy's future wife and her future husband. She turns to him cool as a cucumber, and says that he'll have to send her an invitation when he gets married.

Troy turns to her

'Could it be…. You thought of me as a potential marriage partner?' asks Troy

But Gabriella tells him that she was way out of his league from the start.

She explains herself with a cold face.

'My feelings lasted longer than I expected. That's a compliment'.

Gabriella vulnerability begin to peek through as she explains what he hopes he's feeling- enraged, maybe even struggling to accept the harsh reality of being without her.

It takes some serious wind out of her when Troy replies

'It's not hard. I understand'.

'You understand?' asked Gabriella

Gabriella said what a bother it would have been if he'd hung on to her. But Gabriella was thinking 'Hang on to me, please'.

But he doesn't, and she stumbles home alone while she fights back tears. Troy is unreadable as ever as he keeps drinking where she left him.

Gabriella looks more than unwell, and we can see her world crashing down as her vision begins to blur. Sharpay slowly filters into view, having to bring her back, but is promptly shocked when Gabriella faints on the spot.

Troy finally gathers himself up to go home, only to have a mysterious attacker brutally smash a piece of wood over his skull.

Sharpay is driving the unconscious Gabriella home. At the mention of hiring thugs, Chairman Montez said no. So Sharpay orchestrated the attack on her own.

Two thugs beat Troy until he's bloody and wheezing, and hold the phone to his ear once he's knocked down with Sharpay on the line.

She coldly refers him as 'Mr Bolton' and tells him that all he has to do is sign a few documents promising t never step near her 'daughter' again, and in return, he'll get a lavish estate in California and a speedy plane ticket.

Sharpay mentions Chad will be taken cared for too, however,

'If you decline it this time, next time, your most loved one will get hurt'.

Gabriella stirs awake at different points during this conversation, but it is not clear how much she hears.

Troy has no choice but to listen silently.

Gabriella is in bed undergoing IV treatment at home and under Sharpay's care. Jason comes for a visit. Sharpay tells Jason things but clearly knows its lie so he doesn't buy it.

He come's at Chairman Montez's call, and it looks like he found the tape of Zeke and Sharpay kissing.

'You knew about this?' asked Chairman Montez

'So you already knew about this? Why didn't you say something? Are you in this together with them?'

Jason says that he and Gabriella thought the shock would be too much, and Chairman Montez is upset that everybody knew except him. Still, he warns Jason against letting anyone know, even Gabriella, that he knows.

With fire in his eyes, Chairman Montez tells Jason to use every power under the law to bring down Zeke and Sharpay. And when the law isn't enough, he suggests doing anything and everything necessary, even framing the innocent, to make sure Sharpay and Zeke rot in prison for 30 years.

He finishes his calculating tirade by adding that only the can he die in peace, and will entrust Gabriella to Jason's care once he's gone.

As for Zeke, having a spy told him that Chairman Montez saw the tape this morning. Also with Jason. He rages uselessly.

A neighbourhood woman brings some soup to Troy's house, but no one comes to the door. A pair of shows at the entrance seems to indicate Troy is inside.

Gabriella finally regains consciousness and stares wistfully at a packet of medicine Troy gave her. Gabriella crumples up the parting gift.

Sharpay stops Gabriella trying to go to work in her weakened state, explaining her dad has it so that she can't take one step outside.

Gabriella isn't fazed, and calls Sharpay out on sending thugs to beat Troy

'You knew I was listening'

Sharpay shrugs then she owns up to it, but Gabriella gets the last laugh when she adds Troy didn't give in

'I really chose my man well'.

Sharpay just leaves, and makes sure to lock Gabriella inside her room.

A call from Ryan puts Sharpay on the edge, but her brother commends her on raising a loyal do like Troy.

'He threated to tear me apart if I came anywhere near you' Ryan explains

Sharpay felt like someone stabbed her. After all, she had Troy beaten because she thought he was working with Ryan, not because of Gabriella.

Sharpay knows she's done wrong and barely listens to Ryan on the phone, he asks her to meet up but she hangs up on the phone.

Later that night, Gabriella holds her Barbie as she remembers how Troy risked himself to save it, how he gave her strength when she fought for her mom's resort, how he kissed her in Bahamas, and how he'd warned her to run away from him with all her might.

At the memory of that specific conversation, Gabriella gathers her resolve and again tries to leave, but the door is locked. She notices that the outside guard is missing due to the storm, and rips her curtains to use as a rope to make it down to ground level.

During this time, Sharpay prepares a meal and puts them in lunch boxes while Chairman Montez is asleep.

Gabriella drives to Troy's neighbourhood and starts walking shoeless, all while getting soaked to the bone. No one answers at his gate and she rails against it, calling his name.

Just when she's about to give up, the gate creaks open, and Troy comes out holding his arm while limping. His face is a disaster, and Gabriella registers the shock in tears. Gabriella confesses with all the feeling in the world.

'That was my first kiss. The one we had in Bahamas. From someone…. It was also the first time I told someone 'I love you' with all my heart. It was the first time in my 29 years of my life. 'I love you, Gabriella Montez'. I heard that kind of heart thumping confession for the first time because of you. Because of the guy named Troy Bolton, waking up, breathing, living…. Those things felt wondrous for the first time.'

Troy inches up to her, and wipes her tears away with his thumb.

'So… my only wish now is to be able to see you every day, to hear you tell me you love me everyday, to dream the same dream, to have children, to raise them, and grown old with you. Is that possible?' asked Gabriella

And the way she stares at him, scared out of her mind that she's laid everything out, just makes her seem so vulnerable.

Troy finally wraps her up in his arms, but then his eyes focus on something over the shoulder- Sharpay.

She's standing with an umbrella and a disbelieving look, and Troy just holds Gabriella tighter, and send her a silent warning in glare. _She is mine._


	8. Chapter 8

Sharpay thinks she's clear when she sneaks out of the house to Troy her apology meal, but Zeke spies her leaving as he lurks in his parked car outside her house.

Sharpay drives to Troy's house and walks up to see Gabriella and Troy embracing Troy gave me a look that could kill me so I just ran off.

Troy tends to Gabriella's bloody and bruised feet, though he pointedly avoids any attempt on her part to even touch his own wounds, or talk about what happened.

'The good-looking face is ruined' Gabriella sighs.

'I don't want you to get a cold so change into these' Troy handed her his clothes

'Sorry we don't have girl clothes' said Troy

Troy shuts down any more discussion with his face.

'To tell you the truth, I like my face now. I feel like I'm more human. Having a 'good-looking' face is now really boring'. Said Troy

At Gabriella's look of disbelief, he adds.

'I'm not kidding. I didn't even apply medicine in order for it to heal slower'. Admitted Troy

Troy goes to his room to change he took his shirt off to reveal a roadmap of bruises covering his whole torso. As he leaves to get food for Gabriella.

While Gabriella was waiting for him to go get food she talked to her mom.

'Tell me I did well. This is the kind of life you were hoping I would have, Mom. It will be difficult, but just this once, I'm bravely going to try and take this road. Give me strength, Mom'.

Troy stares at the food that Sharpay left, but chooses to ignore it, while Sharpay sits in her car outside only to be surprised when Zeke knocks on her window.

Gabriella is asleep on the floor by the time Troy returns, and he carefully tucks her into his own bed. There's a picture of an island locale on his counter that wasn't there before, and an attached note from Gabriella explains that she was bored and found it in his drawer.

She added that she wants to go there with him tomorrow if the weather is good. 'The first trip we take together, only two of us'.

(Flashback)

'Troy!' shouted Sharpay when she came in Troy's room

'Hey, you're here' said Troy who was currently studying

'Look at his photo I took… I took it so I can give it to you'.

'Hmm interesting'

'Let's go here sometime together'

'I can't I'm busy now that I have to study about being a doctor'

'Fine then, I'm just going to go with another guy'.

Troy snatches the photo and says

'You can't because I'm going with you'.

(Flashback ends)

Troy stares at the picture but ends up putting it back.

Troy brushes Gabriella's hair away from her face as he leans in close, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek while she sleeps.

While everything going on Chad was currently on vacation with Taylor they went to an island. Chad sobs at the water's edge because the resort owner told him Taylor died after eating rat poison, only to find Taylor alive and perfectly well.

'What's wrong Chad?'

'Are you alive or dead' as he falls on his butt from shock

'I'm alive'

'But the owner said you died by eating rat poison'

'Oh no the dog Taylor died'

'What kind of person names their dog a person's name'

'I don't ask the owner'.

'I was seriously going to jump in the water to die'

'Aww Chad'

'Shut up I'm going back to the resort'.

Troy heads out while Gabriella is sleeping to buy her some clothes, but stops when he sees Sharpay's face on the newspaper about her marriage.

He can't help but think of Ryan and his murderous intent on finding his sister, and how he'd mentioned her upcoming marriage to Chairman Montez.

However, when Troy gets a call from Sharpay, he ignores it and turns off his phone.

Sharpay is upset that she can't get ahold of him and a flashback to her conversation with Zeke from the night before. Zeke says Chairman Montez saw the tape of them kissing. What's worse is Chairman Montez already had a meeting with Jason to give everything to Gabriella.

'Let's beg the Chairman' Sharpay tells Zeke through tears

'Let's beg until he forgives us'

'But you know Chairman Montez does not forgive people' said Zeke

'Gabriella Montez also knows everything about your relationship with Troy, and he's the belief that Gabriella's holding on to him just to make you squirm'.

Sharpay breaks down in the car, while Zeke tells her to pack her bags and get out of that house. With people like Gabriella and her father who'll never forgive adultery, Sharpay can never win.

Sharpay then calls Troy again leaving a 'fake voicemail' saying that her brother Ryan is here and trying to kill her'.

'Just this once help me just this once! I have no one else to call please Troy!'

She cries into the phone, before smashing her mirror with a wine bottle to make her situation sound more violent.

The message is saved and Sharpay drops the act. The broken mirror reflect her and she says

'I know exactly what I'm doing'.

Gabriella finally wakes up to the sound of Jason calling, but she ignores her phone. She's surprised how late she slept in, wondering,

'Is this house that comfortable?'

Troy is in front of his gate but puts his phone back on and checks the voicemail, his eyes widening at the message. He drops the bag and runs back to his car.

Unaware Gabriella sits outside waiting for Troy. When she takes a peek outside his gate, she sees shopping bags he left.

She opens the bag and pulls out her new clothes and she smiles when she sees Troy's note inside the bag.

'Let's go on vacation'

She gets a text from him saying he can't make it today so she gets upset but is cheered up when she tries on her new jacket and shoes.

But a text from a private number saying where Troy and Sharpay are Gabriella gets suspicious.

Sharpay is the one behind that text. The room is torn up and her lip is bloody.

Troy rushes to find Sharpay huddled on the floor, with bruises and scratches littering her arms. She puts on a pitiful act for him and it works, he goes to get the first aid kit and she drops the act while alone in the blink of an eye.

Troy finds the first aid kit and when he takes a step to Sharpay he gets a call from Ryan, calling from a police station in New York to see if Troy can bail him out. Troy barely listens to him he realizes that Sharpay had been lying the whole time. Still, he silently goes back to Sharpay and begins to tend her wounds. Gabriella arrives outside in the meantime.

With tears in her eyes, Sharpay appeals to the Troy she knows still loves her, claiming that she was crazy for leaving him. But Troy knows she's just using him.

'Sharpay, you know me very well. You know me much better than I know myself'

Gabriella arrives during this conversation, though she doesn't reveal herself while staying within eavesdropping range. She hears Troy tell Sharpay that he didn't really want revenge- he just wanted to see her desperately.

'I also knew that it was my pathetic obsession with you' said Troy

Troy's voice grows graver as he goes on imitating her when she called him 6 years ago and now with her 'Troy help me' line.

'The Troy from 6 years ago left straight away without thinking the consequences I ran to you like a crazy person'

'You knew I'd come to you like that. No matter what Sharpay, did I understood, I was patient, I forgave you, and you endured it all. You also know this right?' said Troy

He admits that after all his still crazy about her.

'I'm still a lunatic. Someone with brain damage. Someone with amnesia. And someone without pride.' Told Troy

Gabriella stays until Sharpay interrupts

'You told me to just come down, right? Okay, I'll calm down. As long as I have you, I can throw everything away. I will throw everything away and give up everything. I will go down to the old me'

This is all Gabriella can bear to hear, and she starts to zombie her way out of the house as Sharpay continues her complete and utter lie.

Troy finally puts an end to this.

'I don't care where you go, whether is hell or utter destruction'

'I don't understand what are you trying to say Troy?'

'I'm saying that the unyielding feeling I have for Sharpay Evans comes to an end.'

He walks off outside. Tears slip out as he flashes back to all his good memories with Sharpay, but wipes his tears and sees Gabriella racing out of the driveway.

Sharpay calls him on the phone inside and he answers

'Are you leaving me because you have fallen in love with Gabriella?'

Relief floods her face when he says

'I made a mistake. I'm regretting dragging Gabriella into this mess'.

Sharpay then wears a sour expression when she hears what Troy says

'I regret dragging her into this, but I've fallen in love with her' and Troy hangs up.

Jason tends to Chairman Montez, who looks like his about to die. He's thinking of Gabriella despite failed attempts to contact her, and stresses Jason that Sharpay is to receive nothing when he dies. That's the only way he can think of to protect his daughter.

Gabriella yet ignores another call from Jason as she drives back to Troy's neighbourhood, but in a moment of decision, she peels back out just before Troy drives in. They barely miss each other.

Reminders of Gabriella's presence remain in Troy's house, but the vacation picture is what he first picks up. He forgot about the love note on the back that was written by Sharpay. And realizes that why Gabriella wanted to go in the first place.

After Sharpay is cleaned up she struts into a bank vault while Zeke's advice to her reverberates in voiceover

'Chairman Montez is pissed, you have to keep your head down'.

Inside her safety deposit box is a familiar looking crumpled envelope

(Flashback)

During Sharpay's reporter days she got a call from someone with scandalous information about Chairman Montez.

They meet in a hotel room he'd been living out of since the company took everything from him. The envelope is handed over in the hopes that she would air Chairman Montez's dirty laundry to the world – all his bad personal and business dealings, including enough illegal deeds to put him away for a long, long time.

But Sharpay doesn't seem to think the same way, and seems to even come to Chairman Montez's defense, going so far as to tell him to just sell his information back to the company for money. The man claims he heard that Chairman has his eye on a reporter, and guesses that it's her.

He jumps on Sharpay and tries to rape her ripping her clothes while he shoves her to the bed. In a state of terror, Sharpay smashes a bottle over his head and kicks him away, only to have his head fall back on a jutting corner. That blow to the head killed him.

(Flashback ends)

Sharpay now has the envelope and the will to use it.

Meanwhile, Gabriella drives to the vacation spot and takes pictures from the same exact vantage picture. She sends it to Troy in a text, and he's out the door the second he sees it.

While Sharpay heads to Chairman Montez with the envelope, Jason looks torn over having to do his boss' bidding by digging up files on Sharpay and Zeke.

Troy fins Gabriella taking in the sights at the beach, though their discussion turns frank when she asks him whether he's been here before

'It's the first time' he admits

'I decided to come here with someone in the past, but in the end we couldn't go' said Troy

Gabriella asks him pointed questions she knows the answers to, but she's determined to get him to admit what she wants to hear out loud. And when she finally asks who it is Troy loved, he silent weighs his options before answering

'Sharpay Evans'.


	9. Chapter 9

Waves crash on the shore as Troy asks Gabriella how long she's known about him and Sharpay, something she shrugs off as not being of nay consequences. She never said anything because she claims she didn't want to lose him.

'Because what you feel is not important, but what I feel is important. Regardless of how I do, it is okay as long I have you' said Gabriela

Troy doesn't want Gabriella depending on him, and repeatedly tries to warn her away. First when she wonders if they should sleep together and he shoots her down by saying he's got only eyes for Sharpay, and then he tells her that Gabriella is nothing worthless to him. He needs the 'heir' of the company Gabriella in order for his scheme to work.

Gabriella asks him if everything is a lie, she claims the doll incident wasn't planned. But Troy simply replies as

'It was always planned'.

'Why did you lie? The Troy Bolton that I've seen and the Troy Bolton that I know are so different from you who is standing in front of me right now, trying to act so bad. That's why I came to you like a crazy woman, throwing everything in the process. Did you know that?' asked Gabriella

Troy looks like he's feeling bad for upsetting Gabriella, Gabriella then throws her arms around him and begs for them to just run away and he together. Where he goes, she'll follow.

Troy has to pry her arms off of him as he looks at her coldly, practically clucking his tongue at how easy she was. By pretending to risk his life for her, he nabbed her too easily.

Gabriella has no choice but to leave. As she walks away, Troy looks ill at ease, and swallows down his feelings.

Meanwhile, Chairman Montez is feeling much better and is working with Jason to tie up loose ends relating to Sharpay, while she tucks her son in bed. He'd drawn a family picture, which includes Gabriella despite everything.

While on speakerphone with Chairman Montez, Jason asks one more time if he wants to think a little more. He interrupts him to ask about Gabriella's birthday tomorrow.

The phone stays on when Sharpay enters with a dangerous look on her face. Chairman Montez's heart is giving him trouble again, and he grapples with the pain as she hands over all the evidence of his fraud, which she kept a copy of just for a moment like this.

While, Jason listens on the other end, Chairman Montez looks heartbroken that Sharpay would bring this to him.

'In order to protect you, I sacrificed my whole life. Even the point of ruining the life of a man I loved with all my heart'

Chairman Montez is still in disbelief, until Sharpay fires back that he never trusted her for a moment either. She knows the woman he always had in his heart was Gabriella's mother, but it's all the same – she never loved him either, and always had Troy in her heart.

Another wave of pain hits him, and the pill bottle he reaches for falls out of his grasp. Sharpay holds it hostage as she breaks down, her cold façade fading as she begs him just give Keegan the same amount that he's giving Gabriella.

She wants nothing for herself, and means it when she asks for just this on favour. She realizes how dire the situation is when Chairman Montez falls over in his wheelchair, all while Jason listens.

While in the midst for dialling help Zeke arrives and takes the phone away. She resolutely takes it back, and when he does it again, she takes out her phone instead. He takes that too

'He's going to die anyway. Just think that he passed away a few months earlier' said Zeke

This was not part of Sharpay's plan, and she is disgusted at his actions before she tries to call for the maid, Zeke covers her mouth as he all but croons

'Didn't you ask me for help?'

She realises Zeke's plan and sinks helplessly to her knees, with no more thoughts of calling for help.

Jason's heard everything and sends Gabriella a text while she drives, and the reading of which almost causes an accident. It reads her father just passed away.

Gabriella finally makes it back to the road just as Troy leaves their beach spot, but she makes a U-Turn of decision at the last moment. They end up in the same tunnel together driving toward each other, but Gabriella swerves her car into his lane.

They recognize each other, yet neither of them tries to dodge the car. Gabriella smiles while dropping tears and Troy smiles as their collect headlight engulf them, and the sounds of cars crashing are heard.

Fade to white.

Ryan sits in a restaurant as the news reports on Chairman Montez's death earlier that day, along with Gabriella's car accident. Both her and Troy are reported to be in a critical condition.

Meanwhile Chad attends a memorial for his father, who's recently passed away. He ignores all requests for him to return home, especially with word that his brother is an even crueller mob boss than his father ever was.

11 Months Later….

Ryan walks through the streets as the protestors who egged Gabriella as passing out flyers in an attempt to find Gabriella. As for Ryan he shakes his head and sighs

'You can't take all that money when you die anyway'

It seems that she disappeared while receiving hospital treatment and no one has seen her ever since.

In the company building Sharpay and Zeke strut down the halls. Jason watches them warily as he flashbacks to the moment Zeke realized he'd been listening in as they'd let Chairman Montez die.

Despite Jason's attempt to hang up, Zeke had picked up the phone and addressed him directly. In a surprising twist he blackmails Jason against taking what evidence he has to the police, because he has evidence Jason's father is the once who orchestrated Gabriella's mother's fatal car accident.

It's not clear if the Chairman ordered the murder, but Zeke claims that it was all because Gabriella's mom threatened to take her away forever.

Sharpay is doing the business for the time being, and she has a friendly chat with a representative from a rival good outside, their private talk is much harsher.

The woman, Representative Jones, quickly puts Sharpay in her place by telling her that she's nothing more than a dog guarding an empty house. Until Gabriella returns, Representative Jones warns Sharpay to watch her back, since she's acting as a friend of Gabriella's late mother. Sharpay is surprised, but can't muster up a defense

Later, a nervous man with glasses gets sucked into some street gambling. He bets all his paycheck only to come up with nothing, but suddenly Troy makes an appearance to intervene and coolly prove that the gambler was cheating.

He gives the man his money back, explaining his father was a gambler and the games aren't made to win. Troy invites him to lunch.

However, the man grows increasingly uneasy as the conversation wears on and he realizes that Troy isn't a Good Samaritan, but a man that knows too much about him and his finances.

Troy is a hired man with an agenda to get glasses man to divulge company secrets in exchange for money to cure his problems. In the end of the exchange he drops his glas and doubles over in pain. Troy rushes to the bathroom and vomits in a bathroom stall.

Chad and Taylor are having to wait with a high school student in Troy's yard one, who claims that Troy scammed his father and caused him to attempt suicide. Chad tries to get Troy to deny when he arrives, but is shocked when he instead turns on the kid and asks

'Why are you complaining to me about how stupid and weak your father is?'

'Your father trusting someone like me is his own fault' said Troy

The kid raises his fist at him

'You're too weak come back when you're stronger to get revenge'.

The kid leaves in frustration.

'It was better when you flirted with girls. Flirting with girls, playing with them, and getting their money… I prefer that over this, Troy Bolton' said Chad

Troy retreats into his darkened room, but Chad follows to tell him it's like another person has been living in his body ever since the car accident. But he knows his best friend enough to realize that Troy must have been shocked to hear that a man almost died because of him.

'When I look at you these days, I think of a lifeless desert'. Chad said while crying

'If you don't want to live than hurry up and die but if it's all an act come back to your senses'

Troy just laid in bed with his back to Chad not even saying a word.

'You weren't this bad when Sharpay left you, after overcoming all those hardships, how can you be like this now?'

Chad cries at Troy's side, holding onto his friend even though Troy won't say a word to him.

Sharpay is unhappy to find her brother outside her house, especially since he came for money, but Sharpay ignores Ryan and goes in the house.

Sharpay asks the maid to have Gabriella's room cleaned out by tomorrow. She's going to make it into Keegan's playroom.

'But Gabriella is not dead'

'I don't care to me she is nowhere in the world' yelled Sharpay

Meanwhile Troy is in his dark room staring at Gabriella's missing poster and thinks back to her confession in the rain and her scolding at the beach.

Representative Jones was taking a massage Sharpay finds her in the midst of a facial and hands her a picture of her husband with a young girl on his arm but Representative Jones just shrugged it off.

Then, Sharpay hands her another picture of her husband… only she's in the picture to, having dinner with him.

Sharpay calmly dangles the woman's husband in front of her eyes, claiming that there hasn't been a single man who said no when she wanted him, Representative Jones' husband not excluded.

'I even seduced Chairman Montez, who is much more faithful than your husband' Sharpay sneers

'I gave birth to his son; I've become the director of the company. Seducing your husband would be easy to do, don't you think?'

Representative Jones doesn't have much choice but to give up and agree. As for her list of demands, Sharpay wants bidding rights to a duty-free store and, more importantly, an apology from Representative Jones.

Taylor was currently working at a café and Chad comes to visit her at work

Ryan was walking in Troy's neighbourhood but he suddenly asks where the bathroom is, who is Secretary Nielsen leads a woman up the precarious steps. She goes to find something she forgot and the other woman turns around.

And it's Gabriella.

She smiles brightly and draws on the walls with the neighbourhood children and starts writing a name

'Tory Bolton' on the wall but she says

'Troy Bolton'

The neighbourhood kids tease her saying that she can't spell

But at that time Troy passes her he hears his name and looks at the wall it says 'Tory Bolton' Gabriella tries again and spells

'Tyor Bolton' completely unaware that it's not 'Troy Bolton'

Troy's face is agape with shock as he recognizes her, he picks up a crayon on the ground to write his name correctly.

Gabriella smiles as she sees it, she looks at his face.

'You know me, don't you? You are the one, Troy Bolton' says Gabriella

She shows him the photo they took together in the Bahamas.

'I lost all my memories in a car accident. I had even learn to spell my own name'

But she knew his name from the woman taking care of her, and claims she didn't know who he was from the pictures. However, now that she sees him she remembers him.

'We were very much in love. Weren't we?

Gabriella gazes at him expectantly, a tear falls from her eye. Troy's eyes are red as he stares back at her, silent.


	10. Chapter 10

Secretary Nielsen is in panic the second she can't find Gabriella, and runs through the alleys calling her 'Executive Director'. She turns to Ryan to tell her where he last saw a woman fitting Gabriella's description before she's off again.

Gabriella poses her question about their past to Troy, who doesn't get a chance to answer when Secretary Nielsen interrupts them while panting and crying, worrying that she'd lost Gabriella.

Once she collects herself, she says her greetings to Troy, as she remembers him from the hospital. But Gabriella never takes her eyes off him as she says proudly

'I found him. I recognized him first, Troy Bolton'.

Secretary Nielsen explains the situation to Troy in his front yard.

According to her, the car accident caused brain damage, enough for Gabriella to lose not only her memories but also her reading and writing skills, directional skills, and her number skills.

Because of that, Secretary Nielsen has been hiding her until she gets better, because she knows that all chances of succession would be lost if Sharpay were to find out. She openly admits to Troy that she thinks Sharpay had a hand in Chairman Montez's death, and that she needs his cooperation to help Gabriella recover her memories so she can regain her rightful place.

She's in for a shock then, when Troy asks coldly

'Why is it me? Asked Troy

Gabriella stutters for a bit and replies

'You're the only person I loved and believed'

This gets a sneer from Troy.

He saunters up to Gabriella and pulls her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at him.

'You found the wrong person, lady. You and I, we are not related at all. People who loved each other? Who, us? Because we took a picture together, does it make us a couple?' Troy said coldly

However, seconds later Ryan comes wandering into the yard, Troy pulls Gabriella close to hide her face from Ryan's gaze. He keeps a protective hold her until Ryan grows disinterested enough to leave, and lets her go the second he's gone.

Gabriella is not blind to his cold treatment, and assures him that if he's ashamed of how she's become, all he needs to do is wait and help her so she can remember everything faster.

Troy isn't having it, and coldly tells her that the accident must have been damaged her ability to think properly.

'It's not something like love,' he presses.

'We just knew each other for a short time, long ago'

When he tries to leave she stops him,

'My heart knew it,' she says as she places a hand over her chest

'My heart remembers you'.

Troy wrenches himself away, again and manages to leave this time. He walks and stops and turns his head around but just walks away.

Gabriella blames herself for his treatment and starts to break down in Troy's yard crying and hitting her head. Secretary Nielsen tries to calm her down by lying that they found the wrong person, but Gabriella knows what she feels. She remembers him.

Again Troy seems to doubt his actions as he's about to drive away,.

Ryan sees Gabriella and Secretary Nielsen leaving Troy's house, he realizes it's the missing heir of the company group. He doesn't have any plans on keeping that information to himself since the first person he calls is Zeke, but due to a meeting, he ignores the call.

Sharpay sits at the head of the table in the board room while a resort project in Hawaii is discussed, though she grows impertinent when she sees that Gabriella is still in charge of the project and wants her removed as a manager and the project demolished.

She makes intentions to dismiss Gabriella from her position clear to Zeke, though he brings her back down to reality by reminding her that it'll be impossible, or it is possible.

Secretary Nielsen takes Gabriella home, though she stays outside for a while to think about the harsh words Troy told her and calls them lies. Ryan has followed the two home and takes a picture of Gabriella from his car, but Zeke ignores his call again.

Gabriella's room is decked out like an elementary school, with multiplication tables and alphabet posters covering the walls. While she is studying there is a knock on the door Gabriella thinks it Secretary Nielsen so she doesn't turn around but it is Jason he arrives with a smile and a bouquet of roses he sees her name and Troy's name together on the wall facing her.

Jason says that he has a lot of things to say to her, but only when she's recovered.

'When you get the power to resist everything I say, I will tell you then. With nothing left over, nothing hiding'

They both look at Troy's name as she asks him if she'll ever be fully recovered, and Jason assures her that he'll make it happen.

Troy meets up with the sobbing glasses man, who hands over the USB file with his company's stolen information. Despite his cries Troy tries to comfort him in a way by reminding him that he did it for his dying wife and children.

But the man worries that he'll be punished by heaven, something which intrigues Troy and gets him to open up a bit.

'Do you think that a heaven which gives punishment exists? You think God exists? I think something like a God or heaven doesn't exist. If there is a God, I don't think he would allow the world to be like this'. Troy says seriously

Before he leaves, he makes sure to tell the man that if he ever hears news that Troy Bolton was struck down by lightning, then he'll know that God exists.

A call from an old doctor colleague sends Troy to the hospital, where he looks disinterested and bored as he shows x-rays of the epidural hematoma that's been growing in his brain since the accident.

The doctor says that 80% it will be a successful surgery.

'I'm mostly a man with bad luck. By common sense, I wouldn't be in that 20%, right? Troy says

Gabriella keeps up with her studies later that night, and writes in a rudimentary diary about her meeting with Troy Bolton, only to cry she writes that he keeps lying.

Similarly, Sharpay reads a picture diary Keegan made, where he talks about how his mom never has time to play with him anymore and how he misses his sister Gabriella.

When she asks him why he misses Gabriella since she never really liked him, Keegan replies adorably

'Even then, she is my sister'

'Mom, do you miss Gabriella?'

'I do I really do' replied Sharpay

Sharpay is more worried about the danger Gabriella's return would pose to both of them.

As she holds her son close, she thinks to herself that she'll do everything in her power to stop Gabriella from coming back.

Troy returns home later that night to find a note Gabriella left him with her phone number and Chad drinking in the yard. He greets Troy with a

'Where did you go? Did you take advantage of the weak and vulnerable' which makes the mood iffy.

Chad informs him that he donated all the money Troy made from scheming people to the high school kid who came around yesterday.

Troy tries to control his anger asking why he did it.

'What I did was right' he said

'Selling your body was enough. Because I know that the money came when you sold our soul. How could I use that money? If you were me, would you use that money?'

Troy finally loses it and punches Chad, only to have a look of regret and surprise at his own actions passes over his face, making that one action heartbreaking. Chad doesn't seem surprised, and continues talking as if nothing happened as he informs Troy he's leaving.

Chad thinks leaving Troy will bring him back.

Zeke arrives at work the next day in an incredibly questionable vest to find Ryan causing a racket in the lobby, insisting that he has to see him. Once they're in private Ryan hints that he has no money, and automatically Zeke starts to give him some.

But Ryan has higher aims, and wants an apartment instead. He uses the video he shot of Gabriella to soften Zeke up, aptly nothing that Zeke and Sharpay would be over if she were to reappear.

Secretary Zara reports to Sharpay that the board members are upset about a report Gabriella made while she was in the company, something that's further explained when Jason confronts her directly about it. The report details the amount of mistrust Gabriella had in her employees, and Sharpay dug it up specifically to drag Gabriella's nae through the mud.

However, Jason informs her that the report belonged to Chairman Montez, and that Gabriella had thrown it away the second she saw it. Sharpay knew she was losing and she uses her sex appeal on Jason by getter closer and close to him as she tells him why she's allowing him to work at the company.

'Although I know you will betray me some day, why do you think I kept you here? It's because you are smart and hot.'

But Jason is uncomfortable

Sharpay makes sure to bring up his dad before she reminds him of his place, and hers.

'I am a person you can't even look up to because I am they company's owner. Address me correctly'.

Troy wakes up in the morning to have a nightmare; he's recollecting Gabriella's scolding and the moments leading up to their car accident.

Meanwhile, Gabriella takes pictures and tries to name the thing she sees, having trouble with all except her own name and Troy's.

Ryan waits until Secretary Nielsen is gone before approaching the gate, and gets Gabriella to open the door for by lying that Troy sent him. Ryan tells her that Troy instructed him to bring her to him, and Gabriella lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. Ryan remarks that this is going a lot easier than he thought.

She rushes inside to change her clothes, grinning the whole time.

While Ryan waits he flashbacks to the conversation with Zeke

(Flashback)

Ryan had preyed on Zeke's instinct to protect Sharpay by offering to make it so that Gabriella could never return to the company.

(End of Flashback)

Sharpay doesn't know about the plan as Zeke updates her on the state of affairs with the board members, and how they'll have a tough time getting the loyal ones to turn against Gabriella.

'It was never easy to Sharpay Evans,' she says

'To the smallest detail. But I always succeeded like a miracle. How far will I be able to go? To be in this position, how far can Sharpay Evans go?'

Gabriella smiles in Ryan's car, and even Ryan is a little uneasy at how happy she is to meet someone he has no intentions to actually take her to. When she says her and Troy love each other, Ryan is offended because he's belief is that Troy is uglier than him. Gabriella's quick to give him an honest reply,

'He is more handsome than you, mister'

He offers her something to drink, which she takes readily.

Secretary Nielsen goes to Troy's house based off a note Gabriella let saying that someone was taking her to him. She breaks down the second Troy tells her he knows nothing about it, but Troy quickly realizes that Ryan would be behind this.

Ryan keeps driving and looks at Gabriella and smirks she passed out from the drink he gave her. He turned his cell phone off to avoid Troy's calls, though luckily Secretary Nielsen set up a tracker on her phone to Gabriella's. Troy snatches the phone and runs to his car.

Ryan goes to a rest to fill up the car and to piss he left the passed out Gabriella in his car, which give Troy enough time to catch up.

In the parking lot, Troy desperately foes from car to car as he searches for Gabriella. By the time his calling her Ryan is already back in the care, and takes her phone from her before answers the phone.

Troy turns around just in time to see their car pass, his gaze is determined and focused as he pulls up next to Ryan, and when that doesn't work to deter him off the road, Troy pulls ahead of him and screeches to a halt. Ryan has no choice but to slam on the breaks.

Gabriella stirs awake with all the commotion, and only looks expectantly happy to see Troy rush from his own car to hers as he all but files to her rescue.


	11. Chapter 11

Troy forces Ryan to come to a stop, he proceeds to drag him out the driver's seat, demanding to know who ordered him to do the kidnapping.

Ryan pleads innocent until the end and claims he was just bringing Gabriella to Troy, and Troy's stopped from doing serious damage when Gabriella intervenes. Ryan uses this as an opportunity to run away, Troy tears into Gabriella about her stupidity in getting into a stranger's car.

Troy tells her that he didn't order Ryan to bring her to him. But Gabriella thinks he's mad because Ryan was going to bring her to him without permission.

'Do you hate me that much? I didn't think that you'd hate me, abhor me, that much. If I had known, I wouldn't have looked for you'

Troy grabs her arms and drags her to his car, but she wrenches herself out of his grasp with tears in her eyes, apologizing for ever asking him to remember her, help her, or wait for her.

Gabriella still doesn't think Ryan did anything wrong, and even tells Troy not to blame him, but her. Troy looks at her in disbelief, but he grabs her by the wrist but still she wrenches herself free again.

Gabriella admits to knowing she's pitiful for clinging to him and confessing her love, but now she wants to end it.

'Don't make me any more miserable, please. Even if I've lost my memories, I know how embarrassing I am'.

Troy lets her walk away while she blames herself, and looks on silently.

As Gabriella cries on her cab ride home, Troy sits in his car pensively. In voiceover he says

'Don't you know what I had to do to send you away? What can I do now that you've returned? Gabriella Montez, fool'

And Sharpay is just as nervous as she stares at Ryan's picture of Gabriella. She thinks back to the conversation with Ryan before, who'd known enough to use hr fear of Gabriella returning against her.

Sharpay made a deal with Ryan he kills her and she pays him.

Meanwhile, Secretary Nielsen tries to get a reluctant Gabriella to see her doctor for more therapy. She's not sold on the idea since she feels like she's made no progress, and continues to listen to the song she listened to with Troy on their first car ride.

In order to drown out what she doesn't want to hear from Secretary Nielsen, Gabriella continues to raise the volume of the song, until she remembers Troy doing that exact thing in the car. She remembers that ride, at least.

And Troy, is still sitting in his car but in a different place, he remembers Gabriella telling him that she won't cling onto him anymore and makes a call.

Ryan is betting away in a trashy gambling den, clearly counting receiving a boost from Sharpay soon. He ignores seven missed calls from Troy in the process.

He calls Sharpay to demand where his money is right after she's ended a call to the police. Sirens flash as cops arrive to raid the place, and Ryan instantly suspects Sharpay of calling them.

'I know exactly what kind of person you are' he grits out.

But Sharpay knows what kind of person, he is and knows that his blackmail and extortion wouldn't just end at one measly building, or money.

'You'd blackmail me, torture me, my entire life'.

Curiously she asks him

'Our Gabriella. What happened to her? I've told you not to touch a single hair on her body. I told you specifically that if you touch my child, I won't let it go. I won't stay still even if you are my brother or anyone else. I warned you'

But Ryan fires back that she ordered him to do it. She asks innocently

'When did I? Where? Do you have evidence?'

Ryan vows to kill his sister as soon as he can get his hands on her, but their conversation is cut short when he's discovered by the cops.

Troy finally returns home from spending a night in his car, but Ryan is waiting, bedraggled and grungy. Troy's first reaction is to shove him against the door, but Ryan throws his hands up in defense,

'Sharpay told me to do it! To prevent Gabriella Montez from coming back to the company, she told me to whatever I want. She told me she would pay me well then'

But Troy doesn't believe him until he remembers Secretary Nielsen's fear of Sharpay where Gabriella was concerned. Ryan claims that he's telling Troy in order to do the right thing.

Ryan begs Troy to save him if he doesn't stop Sharpay she will put him into jail.

Troy heads straight to Gabriella's house after getting her address from Ryan, except he's not eh first to arrive – Secretary Zara is already there and reporting via phone to Zeke that he's found her hiding place.

Zeke's expression is dark as he tells Secretary Zara that he will be sending people there. He's interrupted when Jason arrives to whether Zeke is having a good time trying to kick Gabriella out of the company.

Zeke is straightforward, and asks Jason why Gabriella is hidden away if she's living well, even though Jason is denies the fact that he knows where she is. Zeke knows better and suggests that he take abroad and live quietly if he loves her that much – that way, the secret he wants to keep from her will stay hidden forever.

Jason isn't sold and takes his leave, but Zeke knows their time is running out. He calls up some guys to retrieve Gabriella, stat.

Troy picks up Secretary Nielsen up on the way to her house, and asks how he can be of help.

'How far is the objective you have? To drag Sharpay Evans down and become the CEO of the company, is that the object?'

She doesn't answer directly, but grows worried once she sees Secretary Zara snooping around the neighbourhood asking people if they know Gabriella. Troy knows this means Gabriella is in danger, so Secretary Nielsen charges him with saving her while she tries to buy some time.

Luckily he's first one to make it to her house, though Gabriella treats him like a stranger she wants nothing to do with him. The last thing she wants is his pity, but when she mentions that he loses his cool and shouts her name to bring her back to her senses. She pushes him away in retaliation and heads inside alone.

Troy picks up the book she threw at him, 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf', before following her.

Meanwhile, Jason get a text from Secretary Nielsen that Sharpay found out about the hiding spot, while Secretary Nielsen is faces with a smug Secretary Zara. He even makes the call for Gabriella to be taken right in front of her like he has nothing to fear.

Gabriella locked her bedroom door against Troy, who futilely tries to get her open it. She throws his words back at him about going places with strangers, and since she now considers him a stranger, she refuses comply.

While Secretary Nielsen keeps stalling Secretary Zara, Troy and Gabriella stand back to back against her door. Still holding the children's book, Troy calmly begins to tell the story of their past; how they met on a place when he performed first aid, and then when she had a motorcycle accident and fell off the cliff trying to retrieve her doll.

'Why did you do it? What do you want? If you fell off and died, who were you going to blame? You found an easy target, so how much were you going to rip me off for? This was the first time I ever saw someone with such an attitude. She was a twisted as she could be. She thought that there was no one she could trust in the world. She was arrogant, overly-confident, cold, and picky. A girl with no manner, not knowing how to say thanks when needs to, and not knowing how to apologize when she needs to. But that's what made me fall for her'.

These words moved Gabriella, but she couldn't believe she was like that. But she opens the door, and Troy grabs her wrist and tells her they can finish reminiscing in the car.

Jason arrives just in time to stop Secretary Zara's men from scaling Secretary Nielsen's walls, and threatens to throw the book at them if they dare trespass. Like Secretary Nielsen, Jason denies all knowledge of harbouring Gabriella, and succeeds where Secretary Nielsen failed to keep them out of her house.

Secretary Nielsen knows it's just a temporary fix, and is relieved to find that Gabriella's already been taken away by Troy Jason stiffens the second he hears that name.

In the car, Troy reaffirms to Gabriella that yes, she was once a rude girl. He explains that the third time they met was when she came to his house to find him expressed herself in nonsense and 'bullshit', when really she missed him.

Troy told her that he realized the way of expressing herself, and that her anger was a cover for emotions she was really feeling.

Gabriella thinks he'd making all this up, and accuses him of pelting her with lies just because she can't remember the truth. Even when he starts to tell her about the thing that happened when they went to on a long drive, she cuts off the end of his story by predicting the ending

'I guess I had a fit and was rude and all, right?'

Troy doesn't correct her, and decides that this is enough reminiscing for the day. In order to cut the silence Gabriella turns on the car radio and the song that played during their first car ride came on, memories of their first car ride return to her.

While Jason repeats Troy's name over and over in his car, Secretary Zara gives his report to Zeke. He's sure that Gabriella is hiding with Secretary Nielsen and orders them to break in if they have to, though he seems most curious about why they'd hide Gabriella in the first place.

He's called away to a meeting Sharpay is holding with the board of directors concerning Gabriella's dismissal. One of the board members is quick to point out the suspicious nature of Gabriella's shares being sold along with this sudden meeting, and doesn't see the problem with keeping her seat empty for however long it takes her to return.

He makes sure to remind her that she's an interim chairman and not the actual chairman.

The board members vote on Gabriella's dismissal, and Jason receives a text with a verdict of dismissal shortly after.

After a phone call with Troy, Chad is sure that he must now be on the run. He's not even surprised since he's considered it inevitability, even though Troy is suggesting moving.

Regardless, Chad and Taylor finds Gabriella in Troy's yard and they die of happiness to see her. Chad's giddy as he tells her how much he and Taylor missed her, and how he's not so sure about Troy because he never said anything. Taylor hugs Gabriella really tight but Gabriella is surprised and says

'Do I know you guys?'

Taylor and Chad eyes went wide and they were shocked.

'Were we close' asked Gabriella

'Are you pranking us' asked Chad

'No'

Chad went to go find Troy packing while Taylor gives Gabriella company.

Troy informs Chad that Gabriella will be living with them from now on and that he needs to pack his things too, because they're not safe with Ryan and Sharpay knowing where they live.

Chad's more surprised that Troy wants to move now, and not the 189257 other times he tried to get him move.

'Gabriella came back, didn't she?'

Chad's jaw drops

'Were you waiting for Gabriella Montez all this time? He ribs his best friend

'Do you like Gabriella? I thought you were just using her to get Sharpay jealous'

Troy then gets a text from Jason to meet in a nearby coffee shop. He immediately confronts Troy about his intentions with Gabriella, knowing that he used her for revenge against Sharpay in the past.

He threatens Troy with telling Gabriella about his real objectives and exactly what kind of person he is, to which Troy calls his bluff and tells him go ahead – if he doesn't want Gabriella want to become the CEO of the company.

But then he asks Jason, 'Do you like Gabriella Montez?'

Meanwhile with Taylor, Chad and Gabriella, Taylor frets over Gabriella's new state.

'It's because of that jerk Troy Bolton right?'

She then sweeps Gabriella into a hug and assures her that she'll help her regain her memories.

Curiously, she apologizes for Troy, and begins to explain something about Troy that Chad hushes her up about.

Jason doesn't trust Troy, but he ends up asking for his help with Gabriella. He is dejected when he adds

'More importantly, the one Gabriella trusts and likes the most…. Is there anyone else aside from'.

Troy takes this all in stride, though he asks if that's all there is to the request. Jason tells Troy the plan.

Sharpay hikes up to Troy's house that night only to find that he's long gone, and she sinks down on his porch in tears.

Meanwhile Troy is driving a car full of sleepy roommates behind the moving truck while Gabriella grips his hand in her sleep.

The next day, Sharpay reveals in her new position as Chairman of the company during a celebratory gala. She even smiles to see her new titles and name forming a header above the doorway, and launches into a speech to those gathered about how she save the company from ruin during year as an interim Chairman.

Sharpay's face falls the second the main doors open. It's Gabriella, accompanied by Secretary Nielsen.

She knows its Gabriella, the audience begins to realize its Gabriella yet she still tries to carry on her speech, stuttering as she goes.

Only when Gabriella reaches the podium she stops, and makes a show a pulling Gabriella into an embrace while explains how worried she was. Gabriela calls her 'Mother' and keeps apologizing, and Sharpay cries to get attention.

Jason watches from the audience with a smile as Gabriella takes the stage, seemingly hiding her insecurities as she faces the crowd and apologizing for taking a year away to recover from her severe accident. Sharpay's hands are clenched tight as she sits nearby, her face scrunches up with anxiety.

Gabriella explains to the crowd that she's suffering from prosopagnosia, a disorder that affects her ability to recognize face.

'Because my body is still not in perfect condition, until then, I will get help from someone'

She looks into the crowd and says,

'Troy Bolton'

Troy stands from his table, having been present the whole time.

'I would like to introduce him to the companies' family. He is my fiancé who will help me lead the company'.

Troy smiles, Gabriella smiles, and Sharpay makes a face that looks like she has been stabbed in the gut.


	12. Chapter 12

Gabriella and Troy were getting dressed for the event. He'd given her the lines of her speech through telephone, which she'd parroted and memorized in front of a wall covered in pictures and accompanying information of important company Group members.

He was coaching her, essentially, and added the finishing touch by giving her heels to go with her outfit. Troy loses his breath the moment he sees Gabriella. They walk out together.

The event starts from Troy's point of view he's unable to hide his smile when Gabriella walks in. He sends a self-satisfied smirk Sharpay's way the second she's visibly rattled Gabriella's appearance

Gabriella introduces Troy as her fiancé, and Sharpay's world crumbles.

Sharpay retires to her office with Zeke, still shocked over what happened. She has a harder time believing Gabriella's back because she knew Ryan had clearly kidnapped her.

Zeke gives Sharpay the sobering news that Troy will be handling company affairs while Gabriella recovers. At Sharpay's horrified face he asks,

'What part of all this upsets you most? Was it the fact that Gabriella, whom we thought was dead, came back? Or the fact that the Troy Bolton you've been searching for has come back as her fiancé?'

Gabriella gets a tour of her office courtesy of Troy, though she's suffering some exhaustion from the whole ordeal. Troy pulls her into a supportive hug and offers her words of encouragement, while she asks if she'll have to fight against her stepmother. Troy answers yes.

When she asks why, he replies that Sharpay started the fight first,

'Because she is trying to get what isn't hers.'

Troy keeps his hands on her shoulders the whole time saying that he will always be there for her. Gabriella admits she is scared of losing to Sharpay but Troy says,

'I'll do the fighting; you just stay behind me, alright?'

(Flashback)

Café with Jason and Troy

'Once Gabriella regains her memories you have to disappear' said Jason

Jason can't see past Troy's lies and misdeeds to know if there is sincerity underneath.

He calls Troy out for approaching Gabriella for revenge and not love, but Troy points out that love is the driving force behind helping Gabriella now.

'But what if I do love her?'

'I will have to block it,' Jason asserts.

'No matter what. I think you forget that I know who you really are.' He threatens to show Gabriella documents proving how Troy used her, mocked her, and deceived her.

'Fine, but I want half of the company'.

Jason looks at Troy in shock. But replies as,

'Deal'.

(Flashback Ends)

Secretary Nielsen finds Jason brooding over the matter and sighs about how they couldn't be where they are without Troy's help.

While Jason doesn't trust Troy as far as he can throw him, Secretary Nielsen remains a romantic and firmly believes that Troy's love for Gabriella accomplished the impossible.

'Love gives us strength.' She said.

An awkward elevator ride ensues when Sharpay gets caught in the same car as Troy and Gabriella, though she tries to cover it up by telling Gabriella to move back home. Troy takes Gabriella's hand in his and responds for her, that she's going with him.

He doesn't make eye contact with Sharpay, and she tries her best to look past him as she invites Gabriella over for dinner, at least. She agrees on the condition that she be able to bring Troy, and Sharpay has to swallow hard before she gives the okay.

After she's gone, Troy only grips Gabriella's hand tighter.

Troy brings Gabriella to her house, and looks concerned when she has to confirm with him whether her father passed away.

She's curious to know what kind of person her father was, and asks to see his room once they're "welcomed" inside by Sharpay.

Sharpay doesn't miss a chance to get a barb in, and tells Gabriella to have a party in regards to seeing her father's study.

"Because you were crazy about a guy, you weren't able to stay by your father when he passed away. So go see your father, and come back after you have begged for forgiveness."

She keeps Troy with her while Gabriella goes to explore, and probes him on his reason for coming back when his big breakup conversation had been all about not giving a damn about her anymore.

But Troy smiles as he tells Sharpay that he doesn't even remember their past together, or what he once did for her.

"The only person I am interested in right now, the one who fills my head, the one who has me wrapped around her, the one who drives me crazy, the reason why I couldn't eat or sleep… is not Sharpay Evans, but Gabriella Montez."

Troy explains that he's protecting his woman from "the monster" that wants to kill her.

Troy takes a fork and eats the food.

'I need to eat all of these in case you have poisoned them'

He admits that he made Gabriella the way she is, so now there's nothing he can't do to restore her to her original position.

Troy finds Gabriella with her head on her father's desk. She's in tears as she asks him whether he's the one she was with when her father passed. She's both sad to hear the answer is yes and comforted at the same time, since she realized that she must have truly liked Troy to do that.

Troy comforts her by holding her shoulder as he tells her they should call it a day and just go home.

Meanwhile with Zeke he is sitting in his office looking over one of Gabriella's diaries and handwriting books. He stole it while inviting himself into Secretary Nielsen's house, and is one step away from figuring out that she has amnesia.

In the back of the book is a little note signed by "J.C", and he's quick to think of Jason.

He calls up Secretary Zara to do a handwriting check on Jason just to be sure.

Taylor and Gabriella are standing outside their house staring at the sky and talking to their fathers in heaven.

Meanwhile, Zeke is able to confirm Jason's handwriting in Gabriella's notebook as well as the fact that she has amnesia

Later that night, Gabriela writes an apology letter to her father for not being there to take care of him.

Troy stays up to do some studying on how to run a business, only to be crippled with headaches.

Jason finds him the next day already with his own office and nameplate.

Sharpay catches Troy before he heads into a meeting, acting amused that he's running the business in Gabriella's stead. They trade some barbs about company management, and Troy matches her for every one.

Zeke uses this opportunity to catch Gabriella without Troy. He takes her out to a coffee shop.

He confronts her about the books, which she passes off as having used in the initial recovery stages from her accident. He tells her she needs to tell him everything in order to protect her.

Gabriella wavers between whether to trust his words or go with her gut. Zeke gives her a test by asking her,

'Who am I?'

His face flashes briefly in her memory, both from her Wall of Memorable employees from the company and a scene from the past.

She takes a pen and writes

"You are a bad person".

She leaves and regains some of her memories outside, mostly Zeke.

She collapse outside while clutching her head in pain as Zeke watches with satisfaction.

In the meeting, Sharpay faces some heat from the same board member who'd questioned her authority during Gabriella's dismissal vote. Jason sends a text to Troy that he'd doing their work for them today so they can lay low.

The meeting ends.

Jason finds Troy in the bathroom afterwards

'If she was someone like you, she would have earned more. She would have been much happier' Jason said referring to Sharpay

Troy smirks and leaves.

Gabriella and Secretary Nielsen are at the doctors.

The doctor says her test results are much better and she's making positive steps. The doctor knows Troy studied medicine and commends him for a job well done in helping to rehabilitate her.

'He must have worked very head to help you, a person he loves.'

Gabriella admits that she's been regaining fragments of her memory, first with Troy and now with Zeke.

He tells her that she's suffering from a trauma from a horrible memory she wants to run away from. Because she doesn't want to be hurt anymore she's hidden herself behind the veil of memory loss.

Gabriella and Taylor share boy talk that night, which Troy overhears by virtue of them not hearing him come in. Taylor tells her how to get moments from Chad, and suggests Gabriella take a vacation with Troy.

Troy remains very focused on Gabriella as she gives her answers.

Taylor tries to play cupid by telling her she needs to go on dates with Troy. Gabriella keeps shaking her head

'No'

Which has Troy hanging on her every word until she finally admits why, in the shyest voice possible.

'Because I am embarrassed. It is embarrassing'

Troy relaxes into a smile knowing that she's not avoiding him because she dislikes him.

Troy lies on his bed smiling and thinking of Gabriella's reaction to Taylor suggesting a vacation. Troy drags Chad for a friendly advice.

'I want to go on a trip with Gabriella. Recommend a place for me'.

Chad is in shock that his best friend who is also a player is asking for dating advice.

'Do what you did with Sharpay' said Chad

'The thing is I don't remember anything I did with her'

Next Morning

Gabriella P.O.V

I woke up in a car wrapped around in a blanket

'Where I am'

I went out to find out.

I saw Troy sitting near the beach.

'Good Morning'

'Why am I here?'

'Well I needed time to spend with my one and only' Troy said while handing me his jacket.

Troy P.O.V

We walk around the beach our hands intertwined

_Voiceover: _

_'__Father,_

_One day a woman walked into my life. I hurt her deeply with the harshest works possible. I pushed her away as much as I could. But, she still came back to me. She is so much like me; I look at myself often when I look at her. She has the physical wounds that I have. The tears that are flowing through my brain are flowing through her heart. I gave her those wounds. I made her cry. I should not have met her. I should not have allowed her to come into the life of a guy like me'._

I drive back to the Albuquerque I look at her and she has a confused look her face. I squeeze her hand and she looks at me straight in the eye.

(Gabriella has a flashback of the car accident)

'_Father, I'm regretting it. This is the first time… that I have ever regretted anything in my life.'_


	13. Chapter 13

The company's name will be Union

It's the morning after the trip.

Gabriella is making soup and Troy is taking a shower.

Troy P.O.V

'It has been a while since I've been actually happy I feel like I have the world but since I'm wasting to much water I'm going to go dry off' Troy said in his head.

I got out and the bathroom was full of steam I went to the sink and went to go brush my teeth. I look at my mirror and It's foggy.

H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S

'Happiness' I smile and rub of the writing and I dry my hair.

End of P.O.V

Gabriella is making breakfast and is humming along but she is unable to get the doctor's word out of her head and she struggles to remember her most painful memory that's caused her this way.

Gabriella tries to remember the accident she sees 2 cars but her thoughts are interrupted when Troy hugs her from behind says breakfast will go burnt if she doesn't pay attention to it.

'I'm scared' said Gabriella

'Of what?' Troy replied

'I'm scared that you will get bored of me and leave me'

'Don't worry I will never do that to you'.

Gabriella sighs.

'You never know a person's heart'.

'But I know mine. I know I'm not going to get bored, annoyed or bothered.' Troy said

But their peaceful morning is interrupted by prosecutors invading their house.

'You have been sued by Union Group for corporate theft on top of leaking confidential information'. Said the prosecutor

The prosecutors search through his house to find any information until they find an usb that contains what they want to see.

'Sorry but you will have to come with us to the station'.

'Can it wait an hour? My girlfriend here woke up early in the morning just to cook breakfast for me and I would like to eat and go.' Said Troy

The prosecutors wait outside Troy's house so Troy has enough time to eat.

Troy eats breakfast like nothing's happening since he knows what Union is trying to do.

Gabriella's not easily comforted and wonders how he plans to clear himself from being framed.

'Like this.' Troy gets his phone from his pocket and dials Sharpay.

Troy comes out of the house and he runs to his car and drives off to go meet with Sharpay with the prosecutors running after him.

Troy drives straight to Sharpay's house, she smirks when she receives a well-timed call breaking the news about Troy giving Union secrets to their rival. She acts surprised and asks him if it's true.

'I may have been kicked out of school, but from my memory my IQ is greater than yours by 30 points'. Said Troy

'You are being foolish, did you think a genius like me would not see through it?' said Troy

Sharpay isn't shaken, and saunters up to Troy as she croons that his past of corporate spying will make it difficult for him to climb out of these false accusations. There's plenty of evidence pointing to him, and none of it pointing away.

'That's why, Troy, you should just leave everything behind and walk away while you can' she says

If he does, she promises to use her prosecution connections to stop the charge form going further. She can't go easy on him, but he can't go to prison either.

Gabriella stares at the book with the important roles for Union she focuses on Sharpay and Zeke.

Jason storms into Zeke's office to demand answers of Troy's case, knowing that he manipulated evidence to frame him.

'Troy has already accept the truth and is leaving Union' Zeke lied

Jason isn't convinced either.

'Should I use it? My last card?' Jason asks.

'Are you stupid, it will be better for Troy to leave Union and better for you, you will get the chance to confess your love for Gabriella' Zeke said

'Do I have to have her? If I love someone, do I have to have them? I don't think so.' Jason replied.

'You really are a stupid coward'.

'You know Zeke you and I aren't that different because you met Sharpay too.'

Sharpay tells her personal prosecutor to drop the charges for Troy, and is taken by surprise that she finds out that Troy has turned himself in to the police investigation.

The prosecutor is uncomfortable with the turn of events as he keeps telling Troy that all the charges are dropped.

But Troy is there to clean his name, since his innocence wasn't proven.

'I did it because I thought I could die quickly if I lived like that. I couldn't end my life, leaving behind people I love. I thought that if I lived that way I would get punished, and end this crappy life early'.

The prosecutor nods

'But I want to live now. I have a reason to live'.

Gabriella is outside _her _house she is running her fingers along the brick wall as she reassures herself that this was her home, her father's home, her mother's home.

She is hesitant to ring the doorbell, Keegan and the maid arrive to greet her happily and usher her in. She remembers them from the book of Union roles and people she knew before.

She touches everything when she goes in, desperately trying to remember her past. Keegan starts copying what she's doing

'Don't copy me' Gabriella said

'Don't copy me' Keegan said

'Hey!'

'Hey!'

'Are you a rockhead?' Keegan asks

'What?' Gabriella replies as

'You always used to call me rockhead'

Gabriella realizes this but quickly turns it into a joke.

Troy rushes home once Taylor tells him Gabriella is gone, and calling is useless because she left her phone. They run around the neighbourhood calling her name.

Sharpay is surprised when she sees Gabriella playing video games with Keegan.

Meanwhile, Troy returns home and sits on the couch and puts his face in his hands.

The front door opens and he quickly runs to see who it is and yells at Chad for not being Gabriella.

They sit on the couch.

'Gabriella is gone' said Troy with sadness in his voice

'What do you mean she is gone? She didn't tell you?'

'What are you talking about?'

'The doctor told Gabriella to go to familiar places to regain her memory so she went to her house'.

'Why didn't you tell me before you bastard!' Said Troy angrily

Troy ran out the front door and drove off quickly.

Gabriella is having dinner with Sharpay and Keegan and is not even into it. She doesn't notice Keegan is copying her every move. She tries a little bit of everything.

Sharpay notices this and looks at Gabriella.

While Gabriella tries not to make any eye contact and she accidently eats a clam dish.

'Miss Montez aren't you allergic to clams?' the maid asks

The maid pulls on of her sleeves up to reveal red marks all over her arms.

Gabriella excuses herself to use the bathroom and the maid gives her tablets to make the red marks go away.

'Miss Montez seems like a different person even though she's Miss Montez'.

'Mrs could you please bring out the dish that Gabriella banned from the table'

'What if Miss Montez goes angry again'

'I made an order now go get it!'

Troy rushes to the house and asks the maid if Gabriella is here. The maid tells him that she is in the bathroom.

Sharpay asks him to join dinner and asks why he turned himself in when the charges were dropped.

He responds with an obvious answer.

'To clear my name of course '

'Do you really think you'll be able to prove your innocence that easily?' said Sharpay

'It will not be easy, but I don't think it will be hard either'

Sharpay is stunned and Gabriella returns to the table.

'Gabriella try some of this it's really good I'm sure you will like it'. Said Sharpay shoving the dish Gabriella hated the most.

Troy notices this and was about to stop but the maid interrupts them.

'Ms Evans Keegan must have eaten something bad his vomiting'

'Okay I'll be there, you two can eat without me I'll be back'. Sharpay said

When Sharpay leaves Gabriella explains why she left without saying anything to Troy.

'I want to recover quickly to help you Troy'.

They stop talking when the maid comes back to set up Troy's meal

'Miss Montez you are so different now, now you play with Keegan without bullying him and doesn't say anything when something she hates is put on the table'.

Troy takes notice that Sharpay is a little aware of Gabriella condition.

Sharpay tucks Keegan into bed once he's feeling better, he pleads for Sharpay to ask Gabriella to stay, and she agrees.

Sharpay comes back to the table to find no one and only a note that Gabriella left.

On the ride home, Gabriella expresses shock at hearing how she used to yell at people for just putting a dish that she didn't want on the table.

'I told you, that you used to be a bitch' Troy replies casually while smiling.

'The more I find out about my past, the more I get surprised'. Said Gabriella

'Once I find out what I really used to be like, will I be disappointed?' asked Gabriella

'You know you don't have to remember everything you can just start new if it's too hard' Troy said

'I know but I only want my memories back so I can remember how our love began' Gabriella replied.

Gabriella turns on the radio and they drive back home.

Gabriella wakes up alone in the house and remembers what she had told the doctors.

(Flashback)

'I remember that I'm driving and I change lanes and I'm driving into someone but that someone is blurry'.

'Try remembering why you changed lanes and try to figure out who that person is that is your homework for a week'.

(Flashback Ends)

Gabriella tries to remember the accident but the other person is still blurry.

Suddenly the doorbell rings and she checks to see who it is.

Troy calls to check on Gabriella.

'Hey are you alright?' said Troy

'Sharpay is at the front door what do I do?'

'Don't open the door until I come I'll be there as soon as possible'.

Troy runs to his car and heads home.

But Gabriella opens the door.

Sharpay puts on an act and apologizes for serving food that Gabriella doesn't like, but she catches Gabriella's interest when she asks about Chad, since Gabriella didn't know they knew each other.

She shrugs that she's spent a lot of time with him and Troy before telling Gabriella to home with her.

'Even though you hate me and I don't like you this isn't right' Sharpay says

'You and Troy living together is a problem for the public'

'I don't care I'm still going to live with Troy'.

Meanwhile Troy is speeding the whole way

Sharpay asks Gabriella

'Why does it have to be Troy out of all men, just because you hate me. Just because you want to ruin your stepmom's life, why are you ruining your own life?' Sharpay asks

This triggers a deluge of memories for Gabriella, most of them revolving around Sharpay warning her against Troy in the past.

'Even though I don't like you, I don't hate you either. If you had just treated me more as a human…. If you just noticed Keegan like you do now, then we wouldn't have come up to here. I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I don't want you to bleed because of me'.

Gabriella gets paler by the second as more memories come back to her and asks Sharpay

'Why do you disapprove of him?' Gabriella said barely

Sharpay notices this and notices she looks unwell.

Sharpay is bewildered because she's sure Gabriella knows why Troy approached her.

'I don't know' Sharpay said

'I don't know. Please tell me' Gabriella begs

Gabriella then falls to the floor gasping for air and holding her head.

Troy arrives and he throws Sharpay off of Gabriella.

'Piss off' Troy said coldly

Sharpay looked at him in disbelief

'I said piss off' said Troy

Troy then picks up Gabriella bridal style and drives to the hospital.

Secretary Nielsen tears into Chad and Taylor at home for leaving Gabriella by herself. She marches straight up to Chad

'I heard that you are a jobless bachelor. A jobless bachelor like you should stay home. Where are you wandering off to?' Secretary Nielsen said angrily

Troy doesn't let go of Gabriella's hand for a second while she recovers in the hospital. Troy falls asleep but doesn't let go of her hand.

Troy wakes up to find the bed empty and runs out the hospital looking for her he finally find her sleeping on a bench nearby and wakes her up.

'Hey Gabriella wake up'

Gabriella stirs awake

Troy takes his jacket off and put it around Gabriella.

Gabriella takes the jacket off

'Who are you?' said Gabriella

'Stop joking around and let's go' Troy said trying to get her to stand up

'I said who are you!'


	14. Chapter 14

Gabriella wanders around herself at the night with Troy following right behind her.

'Is she playing around with me?' Troy said in his head.

Troy called Secretary Nielsen on Gabriella's memory loss.

She went to go find the doctor.

'Too much stress can cause her to repeat memory loss. It is a way of protecting herself from pain and fear and if she can handle this last hurdle all her memories will return'. Said the doctor

Troy is still following Gabriella as she is about to cross the road Troy saves Gabriella from being nearly hit by a car.

'Do you know me?' asked Gabriella

'Come on I'll explain everything at home. Let's go'

Troy took Gabriella to her and Taylor's room. He showed her a framed picture which was taken at the Bahamas together at the parade.

Gabriella throws the picture at the wall which causes Taylor to wake up.

'No! This is a lie' Gabriella yelled

Troy is holding her back from destroying anything else.

'Calm down!'

'Not it's all a lie!'

'Taylor please go downstairs'

Taylor ran off and cries in Chad's arms for comfort

Troy holds her still until she faints.

Troy spent the night holding Gabriella in his arms scared that she will run away but Chad gives Troy bad news saying Sharpay is at the door.

Troy opens the door to see Taylor handling Sharpay.

'You must be very happy' Taylor said sarcastically.

'I thought if all my wishes came true I would be happy but….'

She sees Troy and says

'But I'm not happy as I thought, It's because Troy isn't by my side' Sharpay says

'Crazy bitch'

Taylor was about to jump on Sharpay but Troy restrained her and told her to go inside.

Once Taylor goes, Troy shoves Sharpay into the wall holding her collar.

He blames her for Gabriella's meltdown and she says she only talked about Troy.

Troy doesn't buy it and gets dangerously close to her and grits out

'If you try to mess with her again even once, you will see for once what Troy Bolton is capable of doing, and how far he can go'.

Sharpay is unfazed

'This is not 'Love' this is just a matter of conscience because you want things back the way it was. That is not love it's just sympathy'. Said Sharpay

'Love is what you gave to me Troy. That's what love is right? After I lost that, I realized how important it was. The reason why I'm now here in regret. Regardless of what happens, the determination to have it again… That is love'.

Troy doesn't say anything and Sharpay leaves.

Sharpay gets a call from Zeke while driving back home, he has the real records of Gabriella's brain scan.

'Don't worry, Gabriella. I will take care of you till you die. I won't ever kick you out with a penny, just like the chairman. As long as you know where you stand, as long as you stay stupid, pretty, and nice like know, then I won't hate you. Why would I hate you? Because of Troy and I, your life became a mess. You're the biggest victim. I am sorry. I am sorry with my sincere heart'. Sharpay said while driving back.

Gabriella is sitting in her room and Troy comes in with a glass of orange juice.

'Hey come downstairs Taylor and Chad made toast'

Gabriella didn't say anything

'At least drink this'

He hands her the glass and Gabriella takes it and throws it at the wall.

'I'll get you another one'.

Downstairs

'Troy I think she just wants some space just leave her be for a bit' said Chad

'No I don't want her to starve to death' while pouring juice into a cup.

'Here' Troy gives Gabriella the cup

She takes it and throws it.

'Stop trying and go away'

Troy ignores her

'Do you want milk instead? Okay I'll just get you some'.

'Chad can you and Taylor go see a movie or something while I talk with Gabriella'

'Alright I'll see you later'.

Troy brings Gabriella a glass of milk but Gabriella throws it again

'You know in order to live you should drink something or eat something'.

Gabriella ignores him

Troy has a small smile

'You know if it's for you I'll be patient there is a store not far from here and there is a lot of milk in the fridge. I'm going to keep trying until the end'

'I'll get you another one'.

Troy stands up to go leave but Gabriella holds him back her hands covered in cuts from the glass. Troy treats her and says

'I'm actually glad that you are expressing your anger, the Gabriella Montez before was to bright and happy that she didn't know how to express her feelings'.

But Gabriella chooses to ignore him again.

Troy asks Gabriella what she and Sharpay talked about he is aware that it's because she's running away from memories of him that she's punishing herself, and so he tells her

'Stop hurting yourself and hurt me, Gabriella. Stop inflicting pain on yourself, and hurt me like this'. He takes her hand and holds it to his chest.

'You need to live properly in order for me to leave, You need to get up properly so I can, without worries, disappear from your side.'

Gabriella says nothing and Troy goes to get another glass.

By the time he makes it upstairs he sees Gabriella sobbing pitifully and screaming.

He leaves her alone this time and puts the glass nearby. But Troy's hematoma flares up on his way downstairs, causing him to grasp his head in pain before vomiting.

By night Gabriella has calmed down and the glass of milk is empty.

The Next Morning

Gabriella comes downstairs finding Troy eating toast.

'Good Morning' said Gabriella smiling

'Good Morning' replied Troy

Gabriella tells Troy about her dream where he was the bad guy.

'I won't forgive him' 'He is the person I chose even after abandoning my father' Gabriella said in her mind.

Gabriella is back at work and is scheduled for a meeting

Sharpay wastes no time in bringing up her position for Union. Before she goes on she gets a note. _'Let's talk about previous plans to murder Gabriella Montez'_

Sharpay is shocked and asks for a break. She goes outside only to see Troy and Ryan talking.

Ryan saunters up to his sister and lets her know that he told Troy everything about her plan to make Gabriella disappear, and how he only has to go in that boardroom and tell them the same for Troy to set him up for the rest of his life. Because Troy keeps his promises.

He leans into deliver the next bit, about knowing that Troy took the fall for her murder and has kept quiet since then.

'Troy didn't tell me, it was obvious'.

Sharpay comes back to the board and announces

'Gabriella Montez is the new CEO of Union Group'.

She formally asks Gabriella to take the offer

Troy is all smiles until he makes eye contact with Sharpay.


	15. Chapter 15

Sharpay catches Troy at the end of the meeting with tears in her eyes, asking how he could dare to use her brother against her. Despite his declaration that he'll stop at nothing at return Gabriella to her rightful place, Sharpay can't see how he would stoop to her level.

'In this world, do you think Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans are different? Anyone can become like you, but because they don't want to, because they don't want to go to that extent, because to become someone like you is embarrassing and shameful, they are barely holding back'. Troy said

Sharpay is desperate to put a stop to all of this.

'Please Troy come back to me, I'll throw away everything'

'With my empty shell, what are you going to do?'. Troy smirked and walked off

Zeke watched this scene from not so far.

Gabriella knows something is strange with Sharpay for her to given her CEO position, but Troy tells her that she simply recognized her skills. Gabriella doesn't believe him but she drops the issue.

Troy takes Gabriella to his old neighbourhood and holds her hand as they walk up the steps.

'Try your best to remember me. Bring me out from your memory. If you could remember me, all your memories may come back to you'. Troy says

He leads her to his old house in an attempt to jog her memory, but she comes up with nothing.

Sharpay is sitting on the front porch of Troy's old house while Troy and Gabriella are outside the gate.

Troy prevents her from going inside, and Sharpay remains on the other side, completely unaware.

Zeke watches Ryan as he gets beat up by his thugs, Zeke is unaffected by Ryan's bloody face and calmly asks what it would take for him to turn against Troy.

Troy takes Gabriella to a vista overlooking the city, where they'd once broke up.

'This is where we broke up'.

'Why did we?'

'Because you found out how much of I dick I am'.

'How did I find out?'

'I can't tell you that, but if you really want to know find out yourself'.

Troy and Gabriella walk hand in hand as they pass by a couple

'Why don't we kiss?' Asked Gabriella

'You always seem like you only have one foot in the door with me. Like a person who is ready to run away at any moment'. Said Gabriella

Troy doesn't answer right away.

'We must have right? I mean we dated.' Said Gabriella

'We haven't kissed yet Gabriella'. Troy says as he remembers his first kiss with Gabriella in the Bahamas but he lies to her that they haven't.

Gabriella doesn't know how to react so she walks away awkwardly.

Troy and Gabriella are restless that night as they think of each other, but Gabriella sneaks into Troy's room during the middle of the night.

'Troy wake up' Gabriella shook him

'What time is it?' asked Troy

'It's 4:36' replied Gabriella

Troy put the blanket over his head and went back to sleep but

'Please let's go to Union so you can teach me what I need to know'.

'Fine, Let's go' Troy got up

After 4 hours of learning Gabriella dozed off with her face on her desk Troy looks at her and smiles he carefully touches her face with his thumb, he takes his blazer off and puts it over Gabriella and walks out of her office as he smiles.

Troy gets a call from Jason with some grim news: Sharpay embezzled fun from the company and secretly transferred them to Gabriella's account in order to incriminate her later.

Troy chooses not to tell Gabriella and figure this out himself.

Sharpay is in her office currently meeting with Gabriella's ex-boyfriend, Jesse Allen (Not a HSM Character Sorry).

Jesse shows up in Gabriella's office and has a sad face.

Secretary Nielsen informs the rest of Gabriella's team on Jesse's sudden arrival, worried that he'll find out about her amnesia.

But Jesse already knows that Gabriella has lost her memories, because Sharpay had told him, Sharpay orders Jesse to break apart Troy and Gabriella.

Meanwhile Chad and Taylor have an unexpected guest who is Ryan Evans convincing them he has now changed.

Ryan is looking in the mirror trying to put ointment on his wounds.

'What are you doing at work?' Chad asks out of curiosity

'I'm watching to see which side I should be on to get the most benefit' replied Ryan

Troy calls Gabriella to let her know that he'll be out all night

Next Day

Gabriella is at a coffee shop waiting for someone, Jesse greets Gabriella with a big hug and shows her a picture of them together that he claims he's kept with him all these ears. He shyly admits that Gabriella was his first everything.

Gabriella then has a memory flash from the day she confessed to Troy when it was raining and her kiss with Troy in the Bahamas.

'We lived in New York together and we told each other every day that we loved each other million times'

But Gabriella remembers she told Troy that she'd never said 'I Love You' to anyone else.

Jesse takes Gabriella's hands

'Please can we start over' asked Jesse

But Gabriella remembers all the works she had said to Troy, and knows every word Jesse has said is all lies. She then pushed his hands away from hers.

Meanwhile Jason and Troy are meeting

'If Gabriella returns to her position at Union Group you said that you will leave her, you even signed a contract.' Said Jason

'If I can't leave what happens then?' Troy said

Jason is in shock he had never thought of this answer.

'You promised' Jason said

Whatever credibility and integrity did you expect from a bastard like me? What would you do if I just keep standing my ground?

Troy explains how he stands to gain everything if Gabriella stays with him, and how if she's already willing to give up everything for him, all he needs to do is keep doing as he is in order to have all of Union.

'But when Gabriella's memories return its game over for you anyway'.

Troy finds Gabriella outside of the café waiting for him he gets closer to her and her expression gets serious she calls him a liar and crook.

'You deceived me' she says

Troy is in shock thinking that she has her memories back.

'You said that you and I haven't kissed?' Gabriella said

Troy is relieved that it's about the kiss.

Gabriella is embarrassed and she walks off.

But Troy quickly catches up to her.

'Remember this well' he tells her

'This time, don't ever forget it. Remember it well. This is our first kiss'.

Troy then captures Gabriella's lip into a passionate kiss

While Sharpay watches afar in her car, having come to pick Troy up.


End file.
